Tales of the Shaded Eulogy
by clairealiss
Summary: There’s a place for those seeking acceptance. Join the life of 15-year-old Yurnero, who travels to an ancient home with his best friend, Sven. Here, everyone is happy. But discontent begins to settle in when a new person joins the home...
1. Disowned

He stared out the window of the train. It wouldn't really matter whatever he did; they were all too focused on looking after his 'pitch perfect' brother. However sorry his parents felt for him, it wouldn't change anything now. He hated them and he wasn't going back now. How many hours had passed in the somewhat comforting loneliness? The only person that he could actually have positive feelings towards was the girl that his brother had stolen from him. It wasn't like he even liked her. His brother had just done it to make his life miserable. He'd be getting off soon anyway.

The building he was heading to would surely hold a better life for him. Even though it was run by a ghost woman, it was better than living with his monstrous family. Anything was better. He gingerly raised a mangled hand to the bloody patch on his face. A replay of the incident replayed in his hurt mind. His brother and his parents had accused him of breaking into the secret money stash. He hadn't done it, but they didn't believe him. From then, they had covered his mouth with duct-tape, beat both his hands with planks of wood and had finished up by burning the side of his face with a candle-lighter. He'd been thrown out of the house, with everyone calling him a good-for-nothing pest.

He stepped off the train at Void's Point. He was the only one there, apart from a purple man with a green hard-hat. When he peered closer, it seemed that the man was faceless. Not that this unusual feature bothered him. He himself wasn't exactly normal. A pickaxe was in the man's hands, which were moving to and down, ploughing through a thick layer of rock.

"Hi," greeted the miner. "I'm supposing that you're looking for my friend? Krobelus? Miss Krobelus, I think you call her? The only people who ever come here are the Runaways and me. I'm Darkterror, nice to meet you. I already know who you are, you were on the Deathly Prophet." Darkterror held out a grotty copy of the old-fashioned newspaper for him to read. Across the top of the page, the headline 'Domestic Violence towards Demon' had been scrawled.

"Um, yeah, that's me," mumbled the teenager in embarrassment. He leaned in closer to see what the article had to see. It contained nothing but lies. "It's me, but the content is screwed up. Do you know the way to 87 Avernus Drive? I was told that Miss Krobelus lived there by a Shendelzare of some sort. Do you know who she is? Sure didn't seem friendly, but she knew where she was going. Do you have a map or, uh..." He trailed off in timidity.

"I'll take you there," offered Darkterror politely, before hearing a grateful thanks from the disowned boy. "Here, you look starved. Have something to eat." Darkterror held out a blue mantle that contained a small supply of Moon Shard lettuce. "Shendelzare's a trusted assistant of Miss Krobelus. A little mad, yes, but I guess that's because of her tough history with the goddess, Scree'auk. She had it rough. But there are always heroes like Aiushtha to cheer the ones like her up. Aiushtha can cheer anyone up."

He decided to trust Darkterror. The faceless miner seemed about as kind as his family was mean. They soundlessly trudged through the Nightsilver Woods for lonely hours, before hearing an eerie echo. Something thin whistled past the burnt side of the boy's face.

"By the name of the moon goddess Selemene, who goes there?!" yelled a feminine voice from the gloom. A shape like a man and a beast began to emerge from the shadows cast by the eternal moon provided by the magical woods. But this wasn't a man. It was a young woman about his age. The princess finally made a proper appearance, revealing her fair skin and high cheekbones. Brunette hair gracefully cascaded down to the middle of her back which was covered by a silken blue dress from Black Arachnie's Mart. A bow rested in her perfect hands and a quiver has been attached to her white mount tufted with more blue.

Beside the pretty princess was another rider. This one had bubblegum blue hair and rare violet eyes. Small hints of freckles were scattered across her face, which was kept safe by a helm. She was comfortably fitted into a matching tracksuit with trims of black. However, this rider didn't have a bow in hand, she instead clutched a steel glaive. Her mount was black and covered in armour that matched its owner.

"Oh look," whispered the second rider in a Scottish accent. She glared at Darkterror in annoyance. "More meat for Nova to play with. More people." The first rider jabbed a manicured finger at Darkterror. The boy felt a twinge in his heart. He'd seen the first rider before, hadn't he?

"You!" growled the first rider. "Yes, you, Mr Darkterror! According to my buddy Luna, you stole from our ripe harvest of Moon Shard lettuce! And according to our records," The first rider took out a papyrus scroll and unravelled it. "There is no evidence that you're entitled to our crops. Your form of stealing will be punished by death!"

"W-w-w-what? Me steal? I didn't take anything!" protested Darkterror. "You've gotta believe me, I'm totally innocent! The Moon Shard lettuce was offered to me by a traveller! His name was Banehallow! He was a lycanthrope!"

Luna's accent grew more steely. "Shut up! Haven't you got better things to do than trust werewolves?" she muttered in disbelief. "Honestly! I get that you're poor and all, but to steal from the moon goddess is unacceptable! Don't you agree, Mirana?"

So that was who she was! Mirana, the girl that his brother had taken away! He couldn't let her do this to his guide though. She took aim, her deadly lunar-ore tipped arrow pointed at Darkterror's chest, which had tightened in fear. Even though reading the miner's expression was as hard to read as living with his family, he could tell that Darkterror was as frightened s he was hurt. He hadn't seen Mirana for a long time, but why was she suddenly do dedicated to the moon? Had she been prowling the Nightsilver Woods when he had been rejected? Nothing made sense at all.

"Any last words, mutt?" Mirana growled fiercely. It was unusual to hear such an unladylike sound coming from the princess. Darkterror, being obedient on his part, raised his hands, preparing himself for the worst. The killing arrow was raised a little higher and Mirana tightened her grip on the bow. Darkterror braced for the impact.

"Wait! Stop!" yelled Luna. Mirana sighed with anger, still breathing hard. She lowered the arrow. Her eyes looked ready to kill. Darkterror slowly let his arms drop and his breathing slowed down a bit. "Who's the battered up dude with him? Isn't h-"

"Shut up Luna, you might as well get an aeroplane, put your words on a banner and tag it to the tail, or whatever it's called." hissed Mirana. Her pale face had reddened, but he couldn't tell if it was because of anger or embarrassment. Her piercing eyes locked with his for a brief moment and she put the arrow back in her quiver. "I'll spare the thief then..." These words seemed to be addressed to herself only, but he could still hear them. Suddenly, Mirana reverted to her agitated mode. "Alright, we won't kill you. Only because of the other dude. Where are you travelling to? I was actually on my way to Miss Krobelus's Home for Runaway Heroes. Just met Luna. Said that she knew the way to 87 Avernus Drive. And you?"

"Um, that's a coincidence, because Darkterror was just leading me there." he murmured shyly. His guide smiled upon him. He didn't know what to say though, with Mirana and some rebel girl called Luna in front of him. Mirana was his brother's girlfriend, last time he checked. That wasn't a topic that he was fond of, but he recalled the last time when his parents had sent him to the school counsellor, Mr Nerif. What had Mr Nerif said? Something about talking to people more and making more conversation. Something about being less anti-social. "What happened to my brother?"

There was no reply. Luna and Mirana had already faded back info the shadows. Darkterror looked up at the full moon and then at his outdated watch, which showed 11:47. There were still another thirteen minutes until midnight. What they needed was rest. They could finish the long journey tomorrow. He gathered a handful of leaves that had left the trees bare and placed them over the teenager like a blanket. All was peaceful on his life for once. Or at least for 16 minutes and 48 seconds. A long, drawn out howl pierced through the sky.

Darkterror bolted upright and turned around. Bloodshot yellow eyes stared back at him. Dread washed over him and he looked back at the sleeping teenager. This was Banehallow, the werewolf that had so kindly given him the Moon Shard lettuce. More yellow orbs were visible in the now and the pack of wolves started racing at them. Darkterror didn't hesitate to wake him up. Once he was conscious to the situation, they started running. The problem was that the fiery footprints left by the boy were giving the werewolves clues to their whereabouts.

"Attack!" It was a voice that he didn't recognise, but hoped belonged to someone willing to aid them. Darkterror grasped the teenager tightly as he took a peek from their hiding place. A greenish light was glowing on the mists like a pack of fireflies. Purple particles danced the ground and out was easy to make out two wispy hands. The claws were raised and an army of savage bats shot forward. The wolves fell one by one and Darkterror ducked back down to avoid the beasts.

"Hey, come out of there, you," grunted someone from behind them. Darkterror turned around to see Shendelzare, growing impatient. "Come on, we don't have all day!" She pointed to the greenish glow in the distance. "In case you didn't know, me and Miss Krobelus just saved you from those mutts. So? What are you even waiting for?" Darkterror obeyed his orders, carrying the soon-to-be Runaway and fled out of the Nightsilver Woods, with Miss Krobelus now following him.

"Dear, you really need to be more careful with the new Runaways... the Nightsilver Woods are unsafe, you know." sighed Miss Krobelus. Darkterror, who was adjusted to her Frenchy talk and ghostly voice nodded in shame and apologised as Shendelzare threw a dirty look at him. Miss Krobelus looked at her in disapproval of glaring, before gliding into the midnight fog. On the other side of the Nightsilver Woods, they came to a spider-web covered tin shed. "A good friend of mine lives in the tin." she explained. "We'll rest and have breakfast tomorrow here." With a gentle push, the door creaked and swung off its hinges. "Oops."

The party stepped inside the shed. Crumbling but delicate lace dangled from cupboards and assorted dead flowers sadly drooped from the muddy-water filled pots. Pincushions were scattered across the Persian carpet and the metal was rusty and po rain-bitten. Krobelus and Darkterror were both familiar with the dirty place and went out through a hole in the back. The sight outside was the opposite of the inside. A hooded figure was harvesting ripe Soul Booster berries from an abundant orchard with a blue dagger. Watering cans with fountain-water beginning over the edge flanked the fenced sides. Sparkling lakes flowed past the farm and lush Orchid Malevolences blossomed in their wake. It was pitch black, but the garden still had a jolly feel to it.

"Hello Monsieur Abaddon, long time no see," greeted Miss Krobelus, curtseying slightly. "Why up so late? We were hoping for a place to stay until six in the morning." Two blue lights flickered in the distance from under the hood. Dark mists wafted in the air and surrounded the group. The blue lights, which were eyes, flew like fireflies up to Krobelus and squinted at her.

"Who is it? Krobelus? Is that you?" whispered a deep, husky voice. The eyes peered closer, still detectable in the thickening mist. "Oh, so it is. According to the Third Edition of a Gardener's Guide, I have to harvest Orchid Malevolences within the first hour of the day. "That's why I'm harvesting them now. I'm taking them to the market later." Abaddon pulled out another one of the glowing red crops and stuffed it into a punnet on the ground. "Make yourself at home."

Miss Krobelus turned back to Darkterror. "Me and Shendelzare have to get back to the group. It's going to be a long journey. You are to stay with Abaddon; you and the boy. Poor darling-" Miss Krobelus caressed his face with her wispy talons. "You need rest. Tomorrow at six in the morning sharp, you are to come with him to 87 Avernus Drive. Afterwards, return to Void's Point. Just Timewalk there. Do you understand? Take care of him, okay?" Darkterror nodded firmly and confidently. Krobelus smiled and kissed him on the cheek, causing a faint blush to appear. He bid Krobelus and Shendelzare goodbye and heaved the sleeping boy inside. He cautiously placed him in one of the moth-eaten mattresses covered and relaxed. He himself needed some rest. Darkterror sprawled across the floor and let the fatigue take him.

The next morning, Darkterror and the boy woke up to the sound of the rooster on the farm. In front of them, Abaddon had prepared a nutritious salad containing Tango, Enchanted Mango, Moon Shard lettuce and Wind Lace dressing. The farmer was currently carrying sacks full of Orchid Malevolences onto his mysterious steed of mist. After the two had finished their breakfast, they thanked Abaddon and exited the tin shed, heading into the open. They crossed rivers, walked through mountain-ranges and trudged through underground tunnels with abandoned train-tracks.

"Uhhh, I'm, uh, tired now. Are we nearly, ugh, there yet?"

"Almost. Just through this last tunnel. Raigor Stonehoof, the champion of basketball once told me a shortcut through here," replied Darkterror. He planted his boots into the moist dirt and continued on. The boy slowly trailed behind him, leaving his trail of fiery footprints behind. "Watch this!" Darkterror shifted some of the dirt on the walls, revealing limestone letters that read 'EARTHSHAKER'. Darkterror picked up a filthy stick from the ground and traced the letters with it. "Hold on tight!" The ground underneath them began to shake. Even though he knew that it would look ridiculous, the boy clutched onto Darkterror for support. The ground that they were standing on rose from the rubble, roots splitting. He had to admit, it was actually quite enjoyable. He released Darkterror from his grip, realising he was now in different surroundings. He had finally reached his destination.

"Oh, it's the little boy." The voice of Miss Krobelus echoed through the damaged door. How did she know that they were there? "Come in." The door opened and Miss Krobelus made an inviting gesture to him. Darkterror smiled and gently herded him inside his new home. "Goodbye, friend. Timewalk back to Void's Point." Miss Krobelus blew a kiss to Darkterror as he faced the other direction getting ready to Timewalk. Another moments and he blurred like a faulty hologram entering an invisible rip in the world. He watched as a spider scuttled across the floorboards and was squished by a black and red boot. Miss Krobelus looked up and saw the hard glare belonging to Shendelzare. Shendelzare muttered about pesky, eight-legged pests and stormed into her room, leaving Miss Krobelus to bury her head in her hands. She had forgotten how easily aggravated Shendelzare could get. She turned to him. "Your room's upstairs on the far left."

He dragged the suitcase upstairs, collecting a lot of dust particles on it on the way. He unloaded the contents and neatly folded them into a pile. He had gotten a lot of practice from doing all the chores for his stupid family. As the last shirt was folded, someone knocked on his door. He almost shouted 'go away' due to the amount of times his brother had broken into his room whilst he was writing in his diary, but stopped himself. Instead, he walked over to the door and opened it. What he saw was the definition of over-optimistic. What he saw was like looking into a mirror, where his reflection was warped. The visitor smiled like a star and brushed a red curl out of her eye. His instincts told him that she looked friendly enough. Was this the Aiushtha that Darkterror had referred to?

"Hello, I'm Aiushtha and I'm here to make your day!" Her beam extended. He began to think that if her optimism was converted to money, he'd have enough to buy some compassion from his family. But that would never even happen. He made a lame attempt to smile back at Aiushtha, but was whisked away by the bundle of joy. She brought him downstairs and playfully forced him into a chair, where he practically had a psychology appointment with her. He figured that he was able to put his trust into her and told her about his painful past. Numerous times he almost faltered and broke down, but Aiushtha kept him from breaking. He'd never had a friend, only enemies. And he'd had a crush, but she was out of reach already. By the end of the session, he and Aiushtha had become firm friends, but her presence didn't stop him from being gloomy. Nothing did. He wasn't hungry, so he trudged back to his room, resuming that moment of peace, eventually getting some more sleep and dreaming.

 _It's Book Week. He's at school, aged ten or eleven. Alone, sitting on a wooden log. Watching the popular girl, Mirana and her followers, Nessaj and Clinkz. He bites his lip and looks down at his regular school uniform and back at Mirana's costume. Who is she? He isn't a bookworm, so he doesn't know. They're coming his way. He jumps into a hiding spot, offered by a bush, to avoid embarrassment in front of his dream girl. He breathes a sigh of relief, for he's safe now. There's only one thing he forgot about. His brother._

 _"Yo! Mirana! Looks like another mutt wants you!" yells his brother. He face-palms with despair. Mirana, Nessaj and Clinkz sashay forward and discover him in the bush. He suddenly feels like a rat trapped in a corner by a prize cat. Nessaj crudely holds up his pretend bow and inexpertly points his fake arrow at him. Clinkz, who is more skilled at archery, hoists up his pretend weapons and directs the blunt arrow at his chest. "By the way, love your Katniss Everdeen costume." adds his brother. Mirana only nods and copies Clinkz. The four of them laugh in amusement and he feels the years welling up in his eyes. He runs into the bathrooms, locking himself up in a cubicle until the end of lunchtime._

He woke up in fright, the memory coming back to him.


	2. Newcomers

"Mommy, look at the guy sitting on the sidewalk," pointed out one of the little neighbourhood boys. "What's he doing in that itchy bush? Who is he?"

"Meepo, he's homeless and it's rude to point," grunted the boy's exasperated mother. "Please don't ask me every single day. I'm fed up with your nonsense." Meepo considered his chances of watching his favorite television show with his mother in a fury at him and quickly changed the subject. "I think it's a lovely how you want to be a geomancer when you grow up."

'The guy sitting on the sidewalk' was used to being pointed at by Meepo and his gang of friends. Yurnero watched Meepo and his mother walk off to buy ice-cream and quickly glanced at the young boy's watch. At the age of ten, he'd been the last one of his kind, the Juggernauts. His house had been in the middle of a dawning of vengeful magic and he'd managed to escape at night unscathed with the help of an ancient wooden mask. Armed with a katana, he crept away with his identity hidden behind the wood. It wasn't easy, but he'd finally arrived at Dotatown. Not many people noticed him in the spinifex grass and leafy bushes and no-one cared. He'd been hidden away in the vegetation since he was eleven and the plants been his home for a good four years of misery. But those years of misery were made easier by his 'delivery man', who brought him food every morning, afternoon and evening. Yurnero had to get water from the bubbler around the corner. He recalled the time that had been shown on Meepo's watch. The time was almost ten o'clock. Breakfast was coming soon. Yurnero looked to his left.

A boy about Yurnero's age in a blue sweater was running up the path, carrying a foil covered dish in his hands. He panted in short, quick, bursts, sweltering under the sweater and his helm. Finally, the boy came to a halt, offering the food to Yurnero, who smiled and thanked the boy for his kindness. The newcomer gave a heave and collapsed on the ground from the run that had clearly exhausted him. Yurnero looked at him somewhat with amusement.

"Sven, why don't you take your sweater off?" suggested Yurnero. Sven sighed and pulled his jumper over his head. Whilst he was doing that, Yurnero unwrapped the cooking foil and found a bit of marmalade and toast inside. He began to dig in as Sven told him about life in his household. Yurnero listened patiently, hoping to pick up some useful information.

"Well, uh, our house was burnt down yesterday, sorry, couldn't bring you anything…sorry…" Sven looked at Yurnero pitifully. "Parents couldn't afford to get a new house, had to sell me to some place called Miss Krobelus's Home for Runaway Heroes. Just brought you breakfast today because I found some toast on the table, but, yeah, I'm going to the home now." Yurnero took a quick glance at him.

"I'll come with you," he offered. "I don't have a home, I might as well come."

"What?" faltered Sven. "Oh, no, no, it's okay! I'll be fine, no need to worry, Yurnero! You really don't want to come, it's run by a creepy woman, seriously, don't come." The Juggernaut gave him a look that genuinely read, _'you really don't know that I escaped from another country'_. Sven grimaced and nodded. "Okay, okay, just don't look at me like that." But Yurnero knew that he was cringing under his helm. Sven thought it was for the best.

"Look friend, I'm sick of being jeered at by Meepo and his stupid friends. I'm sick of this itchy bush and I want a better life than this. I'm coming." declared Yurnero. Sven gave a barely audible sigh and agreed. Yurnero grinned and embraced his shocked friend. Sven fought his way out of the hug and signaled for Yurnero to wait. He ran back around the corner and returned with a brown and unused briefcase filled with necessities after a couple of minutes.

"We can catch the old train there, I read about the place on the internet." Yurnero looked perplexed when Sven mentioned the internet. "It's basically a thing that tells you stuff." He hastily added. "I forgot that you, um, don't catch up on trends. No offence."

"None taken." replied Yurnero. He thrust his bag over his shoulder and began trudging to his east. "Come on!" Sven gave a short moan and lugged his necessity bag behind him. The two friends plodded along towards the battered train station, slow step by step (Yurnero had promised Sven he'd walk slowly) until they reached the station. Unfixed rails lined the platforms and ticket office was empty. A small three-caboose train loomed out of the distance, squeaking and squealing with every move. At the front was a man with a tag that read 'Darkterror' sewn onto his navy uniform. A frown was plastered on his face as the boys boarded the train. "What's wrong?" Yurnero asked the man.

"Are you more Runaways? Last time I tried to deliver one, it wasn't pretty." Darkterror drew a deep breath and gulped. "Just get on, it's going to be a long trip, four or five hours." Sven wasn't one for waiting, he whinged like an injured dog until Darkterror melted into pity. It had always been his weak spot, feeling too much pity for others. "What do you need? Please can I help, I really don't like seeing younger people in bad states." sighed Darkterror gently. Yurnero had a feeling some of his friend's impulsiveness was about to kick in. "Is it the long trip? I could Timewalk there, but it might not have good consequences. Are you sure?"

"Oh yes, oh yeah, let's go!" Sven rolled his eyes, speaking impatiently. Yurnero pulled his friend back, but it was too late. Sven had got hold of Darkterror's arm, so Yurnero had no choice. He gripped Darkterror's other free arm. Darkterror began a countdown, starting from three, then two, then one. Yurnero couldn't exactly describe the feeling of Timewalking, but it was definitely not pleasant. It felt like if he let go, he would get sucked into the dizzily spinning abyssal vortex underneath him. It felt like being torn and shredded into half a million bloody pieces. He swore he could feel a rip running down his spine. It was like going backwards on a rollercoaster, only there was no harness and you were falling at an 180°angle. Sven had better regretted his decision. Yurnero made a quick prayer that this would be the most unpleasant experience in his. If it wasn't, then…

They were standing outside one of the filthiest buildings that existed. Cobwebs practically painted the mossy bricks which were loose. Shattered windows that looked like they had been smashed for a robbery were in the places where bricks had been ruthlessly ripped out. Darkterror rapped on the greased door. Yurnero guessed that the door had been greased due to the amount of times it had creaked. Miss Krobelus, who Yurnero assumed to be the ghostly woman let them in.

"Dear Darkterror, what did I say about taking Runaways here before?" sighed Miss Krobelus, emerald green blush forming on her transparent face from embarrassment. "Very well, let the sweethearts come in, come in, don't be shy. Lunch will be ready soon." Yurnero awkwardly sat down on a cushioned chair that you would find at a Chinese Yum Cha restaurant. "Aiushtha, please come here and show these darlings around here." A fawn with frizzy red hair and a broad smile skipped happily to their service. When she saw the newcomers her already sunny smile stretched into the size and shape of a banana. Miss Krobelus smiled knowingly back at Aiustha and drifted down the deserted corridor.

"Hi! I'm Aiushtha the Enchantress and I'll be your guide today!" said the optimistic fawn in her cheery voice. Aiushtha held out a hand and the boys shook it. "Welcome to our home. I've been here for a couple of years now, we're led by Miss Krobelus." She gave a nod to the empty corridor. "Tons of heroes live here. Down the corridor is the lounge and kitchen, that's where we relax and eat. It's huge, don't worry. Upstairs, we have dormitories. That's where we sleep. There's two bathrooms upstairs and two downstairs. Each bathroom has multiple stalls, " Aiushtha showed them the location of the lavatories. "We have a nursing home next door, run by me and Mr Dazzle. I'll show you your rooms." Aiushtha skipped nimbly up the curling stairs and came to two doors next to each other. She reached for a black texta from her green handbag and hastily scribbled a juvenile picture of Yurnero on one door and Sven on the other. "We also have a garden outside. Anyway, that's about it, I'm going to go speak with the dude over there." Aiushtha dangerously slid down the stair banisters with Yurnero and Sven struggling to keep up. Aiushtha went on into the lounge and pointed to he right.

Yurnero couldn't comprehend why Aiushtha had a crush on this guy, seeing as she was so joyous. The guy looked pretty miserable and blue fire steamed from his eyes and chest. He idly poked around at his food with his fork, resting his head on one of his hands. Yurnero couldn't help but notice a burn on the side of his face. Pity for the lonely person started to creep in, but Yurnero couldn't explain why.

"His name's Terrorblade. He arrived here yesterday. I tried to teach him how to be happy, but it's not going anywhere. For a while." Aiushtha smile ceased for a bit, but quickly returned to its sunny state. "Just unpack in your room before doing anything. You guys have fun, okay?" Aiushtha pranced off to give Terrorblade some optimism lessons. Yurnero headed back upstairs and into the room with the very 'un-Yurneroish' scribble. He dumped his bag onto the lace-trimmed blankets. It didn't take long to hang his clothes as there weren't that many at all. Yurnero sighed, flopping on his cushiony bed. It was rare that he ever got an opportunity to relax in comfort and take the world in. The peace was interrupted by a rather noisy bell-like sound through the Intercom in his room followed by Aiushtha's voice calling for lunch. Yurnero went down downstairs and into the lounge with Sven trailing behind.

A banquet had been set up in the centre of the lounge. Cards with gold writing lined the ends of the table with the names of the residents on them. Plates and utensils lay neatly there and a selection of food covered the middle of the table. Yurnero found the seat closest to the card with his name on it and realized in dismay that Sven wasn't sitting near him. Apart from Aiushtha who probably wanted to be friends with everybody and lonely Terrorblade, he hadn't really met anyone else. Yurnero peered at the tags on the sides of him. One read Luna and the other one read Purist Thunderwrath. Who were they? He'd find out soon enough. A pretty girl his age with unusual features such as violet eyes and blue hair took the seat to the left of him. That would probably be Luna. A boy who looked twelve with a mix of orange and blond hair took the other seat. He easily would go under the good-boy look category. This was Purist Thunderwrath. Luna looked highly irritated.

"Why does Miss always make me sit near the petty boys?" she grumbled. "Hell no am I sitting near you, Purist! And who's this?" Luna glared at Yurnero like he was one of the spiders that paid a daily visit. "Pathetic! You'd better not be a weakling like that retard, Thunderwrath. That dude wouldn't last a day without the protection of Miss Krobelus." Yurnero was speechless as Luna huffed and snatched a pair of tongs. Luna wasn't someone to get on the wrong side of. Purist remained calm, ignorant of Luna's jabs and insults.

"I'm not one of the things you described, Luna," mumbled Purist innocently. "And it's not nice to call me those things. Or anyone else, for that matter." Yurnero didn't want to stay between a bad mix of a rebel and an angel, so he piled up some food on his plate and wolfed it down. He placed his plate and cutleries in the strange dishwasher and made his way to Sven's seat, gesturing for him to come. However, his friend was immersed in conversation with a thirteen year old blond girl in a blue chaff dress. Yurnero checked the name card of the girl and made out the name Rylai. After a while, Yurnero decided to continue upstairs by himself. Sometimes it was just nice to be alone. He vaguely plodded up the first step, before something sharply yanked on the collar of his shirt.

"Hey. You. Yurnero." spat the voice of Luna. "You still haven't shown me that we can trust you." Now Yurnero was at the point where he began to think Luna was rather mad. Insane, even. What made her so suspicious? "Come back down. You and me are going to do some sparring. Get up." Yurnero found himself being dragged outdoors, an area he hadn't seen yet. A large stone ring was in the centre of the majestic hedges, where the word arena had been scrawled in red. Yurnero hoped that it hadn't been written in blood. Luna climbed over the stone with ease, whereas it took Yurnero a few goes to accomplish the same task. Luna rolled up the sleeves of her blue tracksuit. A crowd of other heroes gathered around. "Ready to fight, petty boy?!"

Luna rushed forward at Yurnero and flipped him over with surprising strength. Yurnero struggled against Luna's strong arms, which now held him pinned to the sandy ground. The crowd cheered for him, the loudest encouragement coming from Sven, sitting with Rylai. He didn't stand a chance against someone with the strength of a barbarian. Yurnero sighed and surrendered, barely getting the words out. Winning against Luna didn't mean much to him. Luna rolled her violet eyes and let Yurnero free. Her gaze rested on Sven and she beckoned for him to challenge her. Sven awkwardly got up and took his place in the arena as Yurnero swapped positions with him. Sure enough, Luna came out victorious. Sven tossed his hands up and surrendered.

"Don't worry about losing to Luna," said a new voice, reassuring Yurnero. He sounds around to see a red haired girl in a green outfit. "Luna has a winning streak with the arena. Not even Mogul Khan can beat her." She nodded to a muscular, red-skinned boy, challenging Luna for a rematch. Seconds later, he was lying in the sand in pain. "Lyralei the Windranger." She uttered out, before dissolving into giggles. Lyralei clutched her stomach in laughter and bent down, revealing another girl hysterically giggling. Yurnero quickly assumed it was a dare, something that girls like them did. Of course not all girls were like that, but some like Lyralei and her friend were. He suddenly felt like he was being put back in the itchy bush and Meepo had been dared to go speak to the mysterious person. Lyralei wasn't that appealing to him. He walked off, a rage mildly burning inside his head.

"Aww, Lyralei, you stuffed up bad," whispered the girl that had accompanied Lyralei. The laughter had died down after he had left. Lyralei looked just about heartbroken and peered at her friend with sorrowful eyes.

"Traxex? Could you speak to him for me?" asked Lyralei. Traxex looked taken aback. "Please? For me?" Traxex grinned and nodded.

Meanwhile, Yurnero was sick of cray-cray girls. He sat alone in the lounge, trying to evade the glances of the other heroes he didn't know. Just by watching, he learned the names of three other heroes. There was Shendelzare who was a firm believer in justice, Lina who turned out to be Rylai's hot sister and Rubick, who loved reading and studying. But he was still curious about Terrorblade. He got over to Terrorblade, who was lying on a couch, staring out the window at a girl Yurnero didn't know yet. For one thing, he could tell that it wasn't Aiushtha.

"Hey there," smiled Yurnero, trying to start a conversation with Terrorblade. "Do you know who that girl is?" Yurnero looked at the girl outside.

"Oh, yeah. That's Mirana. She got here a day before me. She was also in my primary school." replied Terrorblade somewhat shyly. "Pretty, isn't she?" Yurnero didn't know how Aiushtha would react if he caught this on tape and showed her.

"What do you think about Aiushtha?" asked Yurnero, trying not to sound too nosy.

"She's nice. Nice girl. She's my best friend. But I like her in a different way. Mirana is just, well, special." Terrorblade's slight smile faded away as he remembered something. "In year 4, she and some other bullies were constantly picking on me. Everyone picked on me. My dad was too concerned about my brother and his plants and my mum probably died before I knew her. Do you know my brother, Magina?"

"Well then why do you like Mirana so much?" gently pushed Yurnero, a little defensive for Aiushtha. In Yurnero's opinion, a ball of happiness would have struck him more than a mean girl. He reminded himself not to enforce Terrorblade's opinions. "And no, I haven't met Magina."

Terrorblade looked a little hurt. "I can't help liking Mirana. She's so good at archery, she's beautiful, I don't really know why, just do." Yurnero nodded. "Have you played Dota 2 before? Or wondered why we're called heroes? Here, let me show you. We have to play at least one match after dinner each day." Terrorblade disappeared down the corridor and walked into the third open doorway on his left. Inside was a border of desks, each with computers and laptops positioned on them. Terrorblade loaded up the game on one of the laptops and started up a match. Several heroes were available for choosing and Yurnero noticed that he and Sven had been added to the pool.

Dinner was a flash. No one spoke. The food was depleted within a few minutes. Yurnero assumed that Rylai had told Sven about the routine after dinner. The empty plates were sloppily crammed into the dishwasher and magically appeared in the drawers, clean. Without hesitation, the heroes began filing out of the lounge and into the computer lab. Yurnero joined the line, realizing he was in front of Lyralei's accomplice. He silently wished that she paid no heed to him. A smooth hand slithered onto his shoulder.

"So you know Lyralei right? Traxex, by the way. Well, did it ever occur to you that she likes you? Hmm?" said a calm and quiet voice. "Old Ly was heartbroken when you ditched her like a hot potato." A pang of guilt jolted Yurnero. He hated upsetting people because cruelty was highly forbidden and harshly punished back in the Isle of Masks. Doing so made him a disloyal Juggernaut. Yurnero looked over tall Traxex's shoulder and saw Lyralei shyly raising a hand to say hello.

"Sorry, Lyralei." Apologized Yurnero. Traxex nodded in approval and swapped places with Lyralei in the line. Despite the fact it was jam-packed, Yurnero managed to find his way into an inviting seat. He adjusted the monitor and turned the computer on. Dota 2 automatically set up and Yurnero had not been aware he didn't know how to play. He got some friendly instructions from Purist. Yurnero joined Sven's party and together they played a bot game.

When it came down to the choice of heroes, Yurnero chose Sven and Sven chose Yurnero. Neither of them were very good, but managed to farm decently and won the game. Yurnero decided to spectate the matches of his peers. They played in coordination and worked together to destroy the enemy Ancient. The most notable performance came from Carl, a conceited version of Rubick. Miss Krobelus joined in too, proving to be more skilled than most of the other heroes. Yurnero had to admit that the game was somewhat fun, even though Luna repeatedly came up to him, calling him an idiot. Tomorrow they would have some more fun. Yurnero felt like spending some time with Lyralei to make up for the way he treated her at the arena.

He and Lyralei snuck out of the building after the Dota 2 Phase and watched the moon together. The moon that he saw looked like something out of an animated movie. It wasn't a circle or a crescent in the sky, he could see how round and full it was. Lyralei seemed to also enjoy the sight and answered the questions Yurnero asked from time to time. Suddenly the fire in the lantern that Yurnero clutched in his hand flickered and died. He turned around and saw all the lights in the home go out as well. Lyralei felt a horror dawn on her. She'd completely forgotten about that dangerous hour. Lyralei firmly pulled Yurnero up and began to run back to the home.

"What's happening, Lyralei?" whispered Yurnero frantically. Lyralei didn't answer until she drew an arrow from her quiver. She gracefully positioned the weapon and released the bowstring. The arrow whistled into the shadows and made a reassuring thunk, finding its target. Lyralei shot a volley of arrows in quick succession before pulling a glowing shackle from her pocket. With the deadly bonds in her hands, Lyralei managed to throw them at the unknown. The shackles caught around something and Yurnero was able to see the something thanks to the light illuminated by the shackles.

It was a large beast, with talons struggling against the tight restraints. It had rows of razor-sharp teeth, its mouth in the shape of a bent in triangle. The monster's furious yellow eyes shrank into slits as it endured the illumination. But the creature was only held for 3.75 seconds.

"It's the hour of Balanar, the Night Stalker!" yelled Lyralei over the deafening roar coming from the monster. It raced at them, mouth open revealing its terrifying teeth as its wings beat furiously. Lyralei could only pepper it with arrows, though her shots failed to stop Balanar in his tracks. Yurnero felt foolish, not being able to aid her, but knew he would die if he tried. Lyralei even tried using single powerful shots, but Balanar was starting to show them some tricks of his own.

Yurnero felt a horrible pain tearing up his back and seizing his muscles. His tried to move, but the muscles in his legs had considerably weakened, crippling the speed of his movement. He checked Lyralei. She appeared unfazed, apart from the fact she was missing a lot of her arrows, which were finding homes in forest trees. He called out to Lyralei. "Leave it alone! We'll escape!" His legs practically buckled down when he took his first step, but most of the pain had disappeared. Lyralei pelted a last arrow at Balanar and ran with Yurnero. The Night Stalker hissed at them and skulked back into the shadows, looking for new prey.

The couple slid through the gap in the doors and locked them. Lyralei wasn't what he had mistaken her for. They waved each other goodnight and Yurnero silently sneaked back into his room. He let the fear of Balanar ease out and finally settled in to his new home.


	3. Mirana Mayhem

"You what?!" exclaimed Shendelzare, obviously displeased. Lyralei nodded in shame. Yurnero had tried to tell Sven the incident with Balanar. They hadn't been able to come into contact with each other much due to the amount of time spent on other things. Lyralei had told Traxex, who instructed them to report the attack to Shendelzare. "Well, I'll fill in a file for Miss Krobelus and alert her. You guys should be more careful next time!"

Yurnero hadn't spent an actual morning under the guidance of Miss Krobelus. When she received the file scribed by Shendelzare, she announced that there would be Exorcism Duty at night for one week. The other hero's faces reflected as much puzzlement as his own. Evidently, they hadn't experienced Exorcism Duty before. Whatever it was.

"Dears, today is the beginning of the Education Week. For those of you who don't know, it is the week every month when we have to do some studying. Okay, darlings?" declared Miss Krobelus. Yurnero felt stupid. He'd never actually had any proper education before. It would be hard keeping up with the others, who were years away from being certified adults. He stole quick glances at some of the other heroes. Surely he wasn't the only one with no education. He knew Sven had a rough idea of maths and english. Terrorblade looked pretty much stumped.

Miss Krobelus left the room for a moment and came back in, pulling an old-school blackboard on wheels. Shendelzare faithfully passed Miss Krobelus a white piece of chalk. She began to write a simple equation on the board.

3+5=?

Several heroes raised their hands to answer the question. Yurnero was completely flustered. Carl, the good Dota 2 player, had his hand practically touching the ceiling. Even Sven slowly volunteered to give the solution. Miss Krobelus clapped and pointed at Rubick, who correctly answered 8. To Yurnero's surprise, many of the other heroes weren't that great at studying either. The only people answering the questions correctly were Rubick and Carl. The maths jam continued until lunch and Yurnero shoved his way to Sven. He wanted to chat to his friend, something he hadn't really done properly since their arrival. Sven was occupied with Rylai as usual, but this time Yurnero wasn't going to leave them there.

"Hey there," said Yurnero, trying to sound as casual as possible. He calmly seated himself, noticing the clear but slight ring of disappointment on Rylai's pale face. He tried his best to ignore her behaviour. Rylai couldn't hog Sven to herself, as much as she wished to. Yurnero felt a pang in his heart when he realized the dismay that had settled in on Sven's eyes. Uneasily and awkwardly, Yurnero attempted to begin a conversation.

"So how are you guys going?" asked Yurnero. Rylai exchanged a nervous glance with Sven. Yurnero felt the urge to yell, "Oh what, so you don't want me here? Fine by me!" and storm off. Instead, he concealed his rage behind his mask and waited for a response. He hoped that Sven understood the situation. The glue that had bonded them together was melting, there was no denying it. It was already hard facing the fact that one day Sven could abandon him, but Sven didn't seem to give a care.

"Well, um, we sort of wanted some privacy together," replied Sven, fidgeting and not looking Yurnero in the eye. Rylai swallowed and nodded, taking Sven's side. Yurnero felt as if a knife had plunged through their friendship. Thankful for the mask that held his teary face, he left the table while Sven and Rylai were engrossed in conversation.

He went outdoors, kicking a Pepsi Cola can in the way. It was pouring, but he didn't care. He lightly weaved in and out of the plants covered with sparkling droplets and sat on the sandstone lining of a pond. He scanned the area to check if he was alone, which he wasn't. A navy cape cascaded down the branch of a beech tree and a matching hood was turned away from him. Traxex. Yurnero didn't want someone else in the garden, but knew he couldn't shoo Traxex off. He got off the sandstone and perched himself on a redwood bench.

Yurnero was readjusting his position, when he got the impression that he was sitting on something. His sentiments proved to be correct, he had managed to crease a notebook that someone had left behind. Yurnero was suspicious at first, especially when he stared at the front which read 'Property of Mirana'. From what he had heard about her hadn't been pleasant, so his already suspicious instincts turned up a notch. Anyhow, it was her fault that her notebook had been left behind. Yurnero flipped to the first page.

The first page was just an illustrated title page. Things got more interesting when he saw the next page. In fact, it was covered with shippings of some off the other heroes, including himself. Yurnero couldn't comprehend why someone would do such a childish thing. It was definitely Mirana's handwriting, fancy with all the loops and curls. As much as he struggled, Yurnero couldn't really read.

He angrily marched over to the beech tree, where Traxex was soundlessly firing arrows at a hay-filled dummy with a painted target on it. Yurnero gripped the bark, alerting Traxex. In self defence, she blew on the tip of the arrow, infusing it with ice, before shooting it art the direction Yurnero was in. He dodged the deadly projectile and scampered up the beech tree. He hastily filled in the details for Traxex, before passing her the notebook to read.

Mortred + Strygwyr

Shendelzare + Dragonus

Luna + Banehallow

Slithice + Slark

Rylai + Sven

Traxex + Yurnero

Krobelus + Darkterror

Mirana + Terrorblade (most important)

Traxex stared at Yurnero expressionlessly. There was a moment of awkward silence. Suddenly, Traxex exploded into a rage.

"That little idiot!" roared Traxex, unlike her usual quiet and alone self. "So Mirana reckons that she can ship us together and a bunch of other buggers?! And why? Why her and Terrorblade? He told me that she hated him! She's got a lot of explaining to do!" And with that, Traxex slid down from there beech tree and stomped off back inside, which left Yurnero alone in the rain with the notebook. Questions raced through his mind. Why would anyone ship him and Traxex? He decided to spy on Mirana and see what she was really up to.

Yurnero stealthily slipped behind a couch, glaring at Mirana. She was showing her gang of male followers her collection of cat pictures, which were probably downloaded from the internet. However, Yurnero did pick up that she was whispering about something that seemed to disappoint the boys. He assumed that she had finally mentioned Terrorblade to them. His point started proving to be true as the day went on. Before dinner, Yurnero caught Mirana staring dreamily at Terrorblade. Aiushtha appeared to have picked this up too, her cheery trademark smile had lessened by a fair amount and she travelled near Mirana uncomfortably.

Exorcism Duty was due to commence after dinner was completed. Miss Krobelus had summoned a swarm of green ghosts that patrolled the perimeter of the home. The ghosts produced a dim glow that would keep Balanar off. Someone had spread the rumour that Yurnero and Traxex were an item. Lyralei was clearly devastated by this news, despite that Traxex reassured her it was a lie. The person who had the started the rumour was a mystery.

On top of that, Education Week constantly hindered Yurnero's spying, which was meant to be incessant. His head was always crammed with boggling facts and rules that Rubick had offered to teach him the simple concepts of education. Yurnero was grateful, but it still meant that he couldn't spend as much time investigating Mirana. Under the guidance of Rubick, Yurnero was learning quickly. Soon, Rubick's help had paid off. He was capable of contributing more in class, but still wasn't as sharp as Carl.

After Education Week was over, matters got a little easier to handle. Yurnero was able to spend more time investigating Mirana, who's crush was intensifying. Her group of guys no longer followed her around and she always complained about the position of her seat at banquets, unless if she was next to Terrorblade. Miss Krobelus had told her that she needed to socialize more. Exorcism Duty was working successfully and Balanar hadn't been spotted for a while. Yurnero had also befriended a mystery-loving girl named Lanaya, who seemed keen to check out Mirana's schemes. It turned out Lanaya was much better at investigating Mirana and concluded facts that Yurnero was oblivious to. For instance, she was able to figure out that Mirana had learned of their intentions after Yurnero had been hiding outside and an arrow from Mirana had nearly hit him.

One morning, Yurnero was hiding behind the fish-pond when he bumped into Rylai and Sven, who were having a private chat.

"Ooh, what are you doing? It looks like a game!" squealed Rylai childishly. "Can I play? Please? How do you play?" Yurnero was silent for a moment as he weighed the consequences in his mind. If he let Rylai join the 'game', he'd have to deal with her. However, Sven would be likely to join her, meaning that he would get to spend some much-needed time with his friend. If he excluded Rylai, he'd be back to solo. Chances were, he'd get more out of letting Rylai tag along.

"Okay," he grinned. Just as planned, Sven immediately joined Rylai. Yurnero beamed, glad to have Sven back. He was about to give Sven the old slap on the back when a delicate finger poked him on the back. Yurnero turned around to see Lanaya looking half worried, half impatient.

"Yurnero, you really have to see this," sighed Lanaya. She pointed in the direction of the arena that he and Luna had first fought in. Yurnero frowned and beckoned for Sven and Rylai to come. He swerved around a couple of prickly, trimmed, hedges and saw Traxex and Mirana, each with a bow in hand. The sack-dummies that Traxex had been aiming at the other day were positioned as far away as possible. Each archer whipped their notches into place and steadied their arrows, aiming for the red bullseyes.

At first both arrows hit their desired targets, but soon the competition got fierce. Arrows were flying in multiple everywhere, until Mirana elbowed Traxex and the arrow slipped out of place, missing the sacks. Mirana was declared the victor. Traxex privately fumed to herself and disbelievingly spotted Terrorblade applauding on the watching crowd. Mirana flung herself at him, giving him a bear-hug.

Aiushtha, who was standing beside him, had definitely lost her sunshine. Her smile faltered, until tears threatened to stream from her eyes. It was a horrible sight, to see someone as cheerful as Aiushtha crying. She fought through the crowd, a mystical group of glowing sprites following her. Terrorblade didn't seem to notice as Mirana planted another kiss on him. Traxex had escaped with Aiushtha.

"Mirana! I challenge you to a shoot-off!" snapped a tinkling voice. The unusually hard face of Lyralei was glaring at the princess. Mirana threw her hands up in the air, like it was going to be even easier than defeating Traxex. Mirana got off Terrorblade, who looked rather dismayed after he couldn't find Aiushtha.

Lyralei carefully drew an arrow from her sheath. Mirana prepared her shot and then let it fly through the air. Lyralei swiftly and accurately fired in quintuple shots. Yurnero couldn't help but be amazed as she gracefully let her arrows find a home in the sacks. He remembered how she'd proven herself when Balanar had assaulted them whilst he'd done nothing in fear of death. Eventually, Mirana missed the bullseye and Lyralei's relaxed. Mirana grew extremely agitated, carelessly firing an arrow on a random direction. Yurnero had to assist unlucky Lanaya to Mr Dazzle.

That evening, Lanaya limped into the computer room towards Yurnero. She said that she'd heard Mirana planning to go somewhere for the night as she passed the nursing home. Yurnero finished up a Battlefury as himself and thanked Lanaya for the information. Lanaya plopped down on the empty seat next to him and started a match with Mortred, who was Strygwyr's girlfriend. She insisted coming to check on Mirana as she was always keen on mysteries. He accepted and focused back on his game that he was playing against some of the other heroes.

LinatheMaidenSlayer11: Why are we playing with retards again?!

FRESHMEAT: Gee dunno plz pause I'm gonna get some food

Purist Thunderwrath: Okay, let's pause. Lina, Pudge, you should speak more formally.

Love-everything4evR: Yay. Here we go again….

Carlculus: Gee whiz the only person smart enough to pause the game is me.

Rubick's Cube: Are you k Aiushtha doesn't sound like u

Shendelzare Dragonus: Didn't u see what happened today Rubick

For Krobelus: Ya rumour is Terrorblade and Mirana are together now. Everyone practically knows Aiushtha likes Terrorblade.

B positive: Anyone seen Mortred?

Jugornot: Yep she's playing with Lanaya

His peers proved to be too much for him. The players on the Dire constantly targeted him because they knew he wasn't a skilled player. Lina told him that he was doing something called feeding. Carl, once again, displayed professional play. In the end, Yurnero and the rest of the Radiant lost the game. Most heroes had switched off their computers, except for Carl who was playing 1v1 with Miss Krobelus. Miss Krobelus won, shaking Carl's hand before sending everyone to sleep.

Yurnero was doing his best to stay up late, so he could find out what schemes Mirana had in mind. He was beginning to doze off at midnight, when he swore he heard someone passing his door. He slowly creaked the door open and sneaked into the shadows. He found Lanaya in the darkness and they patrolled the corridor on their knees. It was indeed Mirana scampering through the night and she was drawing closer to Terrorblade's room. She entered his whereabouts and quietly shut the door, not knowing Yurnero and Lanaya had slipped in.

Mirana reached out for a black book on a desk. She removed it and exited the room. Lanaya and Yurnero followed her out, when she suddenly spun around to close the door. Yurnero cringed as a glowing Exorcism Duty ghost glided down the hallway. He knew Lanaya dreaded the same thing: they were going to get caught. Dozens of ghosts patrolling the area began to follow the first ghost.

"Cringe you cur!" exclaimed Mirana, seeing Yurnero and Lanaya. She concealed the black book behind her back. Lanaya folded her arms with suspicion. The Exorcism Duty gang wandered nearer to them and drifted back to Miss Krobelus's bedroom. Yurnero and Lanaya crept away whilst Mirana glanced at the ghosts. When she whipped her head around, she was isolated. Yurnero breathed a sigh of relief in bed and got some shut-eye.

The next morning, Yurnero, Sven, Lanaya and Rylai piled breakfast onto their plates. What Shendelzare had mentioned during the Dota 2 Phase was just about true, much to Yurnero's disappointment. Aiushtha was roaming around the chairs and saying nothing. Lanaya was telling Sven and Rylai about Mirana and the black book. From across the table, Yurnero jumped to the conclusion that the black book was in fact Terrorblade's diary. He could make out the diary format and Terrorblade's illegible cursive writing.

"Hand the diary back to him." demanded Sven, extending a gauntlet to pick up the diary. "Terrorblade is probably fumbling around for that thing. You don't want him like that, do ya?" Mirana, being stubborn, wasn't convinced so easily. She squinted at them in anger.

"Fine. Only if you get him here to claim it himself. And also, I have to read this good stuff first. Now get!" she growled. Yurnero almost felt that she was trying to do a bad impression of a cat. Sven grumbled and conferred with Rylai, before he went off to get someone. Mirana relaxed and flipped to the first page. Mirana hadn't gone further than the second word when the diary was instantly replaced by Shendelzare. The diary was where Shendelzare had been standing, at the drink dispenser. Terrorblade, who had been helping himself to some water, stared downwards, seeing his diary. He picked it up in confusion and took it up to his room.

"Swapsies?" smirked Shendelzare, being watched in admiration by Dragonus. She grinned and walked back to the drink dispenser. Mirana's eyes looked as if they could burn a hole in Shendelzare's head. Aiushtha was watching with a hint of amusement, but she clearly hadn't recovered. Sun Wukong, the troublemaker and biggest gossip was whooping with laughter. News spread around the home and Mirana became a laughing stock.

Terrorblade was devastated by what Mirana had done. He had lost a little trust in her, but he immediately regained it by lunch. Shendelzare had become more popular with the home, but insisted on sticking with Miss Krobelus. She spent the day roaming the home, eventually catching Sun Wukong pinching food from the kitchen.

Other girls like Lyralei and Traxex could be found in the arena, practising their specialties. Yurnero didn't understand why, but he was beginning to realize that he was infatuated with Lyralei. The way that she'd saved him when Balanar had come left him awestruck. Her sparkling expression was beautiful. Everything was amazing about her.

Yurnero gazed at her as she improved on her already high archery skills. He made a coy wave at Lyralei, who smiled and waved back. He knew he was blushing madly, but he didn't care. It was all behind his mask. Lanaya scowled from behind him, like a reminder that she was there. Yurnero blinked and returned his attention to her. Lanaya picked up a clue and her eyes welled with tears. She turned on her heel and stormed off. Sun Wukong, who'd been ordered to prune the hedges by Miss Krobelus as a punishment, scampered up to Yurnero.

"Juggernaut, is it true you and Templar Assassin were once a thing?" crooned Sun Wukong. Yurnero tried to block out the words and find Lanaya. Suddenly, his mind came round to a single, simple thought. It wasn't his fault Lanaya couldn't cope with him liking Lyralei. They were just friends, after all. Lanaya wasn't his girlfriend. Or how had it seemed in her perspective? He didn't try to spend much time in other heads.

Lanaya had vanished from Yurnero's circle of friends. He felt awful, but was sure Lanaya didn't want him back. She had certainly been firm when she'd abandoned him.

Life was tough, home or not. But he still preferred living with Miss Krobelus and the other heroes over the itchy bush.


	4. Valentines Day and Direburn

Yurnero came downstairs that morning to find Miss Krobelus hanging red decorations with Shendelzare and Dragonus. A white banner with the words 'Valentines Day' sewn on was stretched between two poles. Shendelzare have Yurnero a look that probably meant 'duh, can you read' whilst Dragonus let out the slightest snicker. Yurnero hadn't had celebrations like this on the Isle of Masks, so he had no clue what so-called Valentines Day was. Shendelzare's expression showed that she was about to get a dictionary to show him what it was and whack him with it after, so Yurnero didn't pry.

Instead, he ascended the staircase and knocked on the door with Aiushtha's drawing of Sven. His friends opened the door after a while, not that Yurnero didn't notice all the gifts tagged Rylai shoved messily under his bed. He didn't question it though and efficiently asked Sven what Valentines Day was.

"Oh, it's that day, when, like, we spend time with people we love," explained Sven, somewhat cheesily. Yurnero's immediate reaction was remembering Lyralei. However, the affection that she'd shown for him hadn't popped up for a while, so he was sort of nervous about asking her out. Assuming that Sven would be spending each second with undivided attention, accompanying Rylai, Yurnero simply thanked him and left.

The beautiful weather outside influenced a good mood on the heroes. The crystal-clear ponds were sparkling in the sun's rays, unlike when it was raining and Yurnero had been sitting with Traxex. An occasional zephyr blew by, ensuring that it wasn't too hot, much to the disappointment of sun-worshipping Lina. After eating some breakfast delivered by the Monkey King Bar, Miss Krobelus suggested they the heroes go outside and enjoy the sunshine.

Yurnero was one of the last people to receive an Eye of Skadi pancake, resulting in him leaving the table later. Lyralei was paddling around in the swimming pool, where most of the other heroes were. It turned out that most of Mirana's shippings were true to life. Shendelzare, who'd insisted on staying inside with Miss Krobelus instead of lazing around with Dragonus. Yurnero could visualize the smile under her scowl. The Runaways were now idly swimming around, exchanging affectionate glances at each other. Yurnero hadn't seen the shy side of Shendelzare before.

Yurnero wondered what had happened to Lanaya. She wasn't coming back to him, but she'd been a good companion for those weeks. Knowing her, she was going to study on Valentines Day. He found her engrossed in a study-book that was far beyond his knowledge, near the river bank. Rubick was sharing the book with her, awkwardly explaining concepts here and there. Rubick hadn't had any experiences with females before. She'd recovered from her breakdown the other day, unlike Aiushtha.

The fawn was miserably poking some of her golden wisps, eyeing Mirana who was passing Terrorblade an artificial blue rose. Aiushtha looked at her own bunch of hand-picked flowers, feeling foolish in comparison to Mirana's gift. Yurnero would've tried to cheery her up, but he had a tall to do. He strode past Mortred and Strygwyr and towards Lyralei. She wasn't occupied, so he continued walking.

"Hi," murmured Yurnero, looking up at Lyralei's he jade eyes. How was he supposed to explain something like this? He searched for the correct words, filtering and selecting them like a machine. "You know the night? The one where you saved me from Balanar? Thanks for that." Yurnero swallowed and the words flew out. "I was, um, wondering if you wanted to be my girlfriend." Lyralei humbly looked back at him.

"Oh, I was-" started Lyralei. Yurnero's heart sank and he prepared to leave. "-actually about to ask you the same thing." A beacon of hope shone in Yurnero.

"You were?" asked Yurnero, feeling his heart rise up again. Lyralei nodded. She reached out to clasp his gloved hand and Yurnero was filled with a feeling he'd never known existed. It was a brilliant morning for the two. Yurnero taught Lyralei how to use a katana and she managed to teach him how to use a bow and arrow in return. Traxex often shot a knowing smile at her friend, glad for her. According to Shendelzare and Dragonus, Miss Krobelus had invited Darkterror over to see her for a measly hour. Yurnero guessed that she needed a break after watching over the Runaways. And of course, Carl was in love with himself.

In the afternoon, Lyralei took Yurnero's hand and introduced him to some of the other heroes he hadn't really interacted with before. He decided that Mortred and Strygwyr were friendly enough, although they occasionally made cracks at gory jokes. Slithice and Slark had a taste for music, they weren't too bad either. Lyralei and Shendelzare introduced Yurnero to Dragonus. It turned out that he and Shendelzare had been childhood friends, but hadn't been in contact for many years.

Miss Krobelus hustled everyone inside at about 3pm. She announced that there was a science cloning project to be done, collecting a round of boos from most people. Rubick, Lanaya and Carl looked content enough. Some of the booing stopped when Miss Krobelus added the project would be done in partners. She pulled out a cookie-free cookie jar that was filled with name tags instead. The headmistress dipped her hand through the glass opening and fished around for two tags.

"Why are we even doing this dumb project? It's Valentines Day, geez!" whined Mirana. Miss Krobelus gave a stern gaze at the spoiled brat. Shendelzare stepped up to possibly punch Mirana, but stopped herself and allowed Miss Krobelus to explain. Mirana continued to complain, but Miss Krobelus's deadly stare cut her off, resulting in the kind of quiet Traxex favored.

"It's because," explained Miss Krobelus. "Darkterror needs it to tend his boss, Skitskurr. Unfortunately, he's come down with an outbreak of Direburn. Approximately half of you are immune to this disease and about half aren't. I, myself, am not. If unsure, go on our Dota 2 website and check out your faction." Most of the heroes had eased when they heard that the project was partially for Darkterror. After all, he was the one who'd carried them to Miss Krobelus.

The headmistress dipped her hand inside the jar, picking fishing around for names two at a time. Sven was matched with Slithice and Yurnero was paired with Strygwyr. Yurnero was thankful he hadn't had to work with Mirana. He'd be fine with working with anyone but Mirana. Even Luna would be okay. He and his partner were given two tubes with green and blue serum in it and an instruction manual. Strygwyr, who could read, directed Yurnero and gave him the required steps. After a lot of concocting and brewing, Yurnero and Strygwyr ended up with a silvery substance.

"Can you test it if it's the correct temperature?" asked Yurnero, rotating the thermometer around. He had no idea how to use the peculiar instrument. Strygwyr smiled kindly and took the tool, sticking it in their mixture in a bottle. The mercury inside the thermometer rose up, as suggested in the guide. Yurnero gave Strygwyr a light-hearted fist bump and raised his hand so Miss Krobelus could come and take their medicine. Sven and Slithice were having troubles of their own, unable to stir their lilac result without the wooden spoon getting sucked in. Luckily for them, the force pulling the spoon down was no match for Sven's strength.

"Well done," praised Miss Krobelus, carrying a glass vial. With a single wave of Miss Krobelus's hand, the cure magically jumped from the bowl into the vial. She packed the container in a cardboard box, ready to be mailed off to Darkterror and Skitskurr. "Why don't you to help some other heroes?" suggested Miss Krobelus. Yurnero grinned under his mask, taking a peek back at Sven and Slithice. Strygwyr moved over to the table where Mortred and Purist were working on their thermometer.

"Need a little help?" offered Yurnero. Slithice and Sven both immediately thrust the wooden spoon that Sven had pulled out at him. Recalling the instruction that Strygwyr had read him, he began to stir their liquid around in an anticlockwise direction. Yurnero repeated the step about seven times and passed the spoon back to Slithice. She beamed and thanked Yurnero when she saw the mixture was now blue. Unfortunate Shendelzare had been matched with Mirana. He'd understand why they needed help. Yurnero had begun to navigate his way to their desk, when he stopped in his tracks, hearing a deafening and agonized yell. He spun around, facing Mortred and Purist's table. Yurnero's gaze fell on a horrible sight.

Strygwyr was rolling around in the floor, clutching his neck and squeezing it with the force of Luna. Mortred was trying in desperation to pry his hand away, so he could get some air. Soon, half a dozen heroes (including Luna) were at him, trying to free his neck. But it was no use. More nightmarish yells erupted from his throat and Yurnero ran over to relieve him. Seeing that none of the attempts were working, Miss Krobelus filled up a clear syringe with the silver medicine and injected it into Strygwyr's arm. He immediately went limp and his grip around his neck loosened by a considerable amount. Mortred's expression was filled with anguish and trauma.

"Was that Direburn, Miss?" asked Purist. Miss Krobelus gravely nodded and Purist shuddered. Mortred was stammering out undecipherable words. Miss Krobelus ordered Purist to escort Mortred to her room so she could recover from watching her boyfriend catch Direburn. As for Strygwyr, he was loaded onto a trolley and wheeled away to see Mr Dazzle. The rest of the home tried not to mention the topic about Strygwyr and Direburn.

After heading out of the science lab, Yurnero went on a computer with Sven and Terrorblade, who also didn't know if they were immune to the effects of Direburn. Yurnero and Sven were reassured to find out that the illness had no effect on them. Terrorblade, however, wasn't so fortunate. Like Strygwyr, he was open to disease. Yurnero shakily went back into the garden with Lyralei after she'd finished creating her batch of medicine. She, too, was immune to Direburn. Yurnero embraced her, glad that he'd never have to see Lyralei on the floor, trying to suffocate herself.

"What's under your mask, Yurnero?" inquired Lyralei. Yurnero bit his lip, wishing that she hasn't asked that very question. Despite his love for Lyralei, he didn't feel remotely obliged to show her. Whatever lay under the wood was going to stay a mystery. Yurnero hadn't even revealed his true face to Sven, who kept him surviving for years. He abruptly shook his head and Lyralei didn't poke any further. He quickly scanned her face, checking that she hadn't been crushed by his answer, which she hadn't. After all, they'd only been together for a couple of hours. Lyralei shrugged the matter off and the two of them watched the sky in the grass. The mask was forgotten.

Whilst the heroes were tucking in on the special Valentines Dinner, Mr Dazzle pushed in a weary Strygwyr on a wheelchair. By the way the boy's limbs were trembling, Yurnero could tell that Strygwyr hadn't fully recovered from his shock. Mortred was trying to stop the stream of tears in her green eyes from spilling. In the end, she rushed at Strygwyr and thrust her arms around him. Strygwyr slightly winced and groaned, before returning Mortred's care. Their quiet sobs mingled with each other, causing Yurnero to wonder how he'd feel if he saw a close friend of his catch Direburn. He could only imagine the pain that Skitskurr was experiencing somewhere else.

Strygwyr was advised to skip the Dota 2 Phase, as one of his arms had begun to spasm and twitch more violently. Mortred also missed it, because she firmly insisted on planting herself beside Strygwyr. Yurnero felt heartless, playing Dota 2 just because he hadn't come down with Direburn. Mr Dazzle had also restricted Strygwyr from eating the average helping of food for a week, meaning that he would most likely go to sleep hungry on most days.

Darkterror dropped by the home to collect the medicine after Valentines Day. Much to the disappointment of Lanaya, Rubick lent Yurnero a non-fiction book about Direburn and the aftermath. Yurnero discovered that if Direburn wasn't treated quickly enough, the disease would attack the section of the brain that houses anger and hostility, causing the victim to become overwhelmingly aggressive. Yurnero didn't want to imagine Strygwyr's condition if they hadn't sent him to Mr Dazzle. For the majority of the day, Yurnero had been lost in the gruesome yet intriguing world of Direburn.

'Direburn can be caused by large quantities of stress, too much interaction with chemicals, or can just be caught from another person. The disease is easily transmitted through the air. Symptoms may include nausea, red marks on skin, or outbreaks of madness. After treatment, it is recommended to minimize physical activity. Reduce your food intake and keep away from odorous chemicals.'

Yurnero thought of poor and hungry Strygwyr in his wheelchair. Somehow, being immune to the illness made him feel horrid and despicable when he laid eyes on anyone vulnerable to Direburn. Soon after this thought entered his chain of ideas, he felt sick at reading the rest of Rubick's book. He handed it to Lanaya and went to see Sven. Rylai was taking an afternoon nap, so Yurnero wanted to make the best out of her absence. The once inseparable duo perched themselves on a grotty bench inside. In Sven's way of thinking, he was picturing himself in a 'Tales from the Borderlands' scene where he was required to make a decision on what to say.

"Remember the time when we climbed old Big Oak?" reminded Yurnero, terminating Sven's video game fantasy. Back near the itchy bush, Yurnero had been minding his own business when an unusually tall tree had appeared beside him. Sven had just arrived with the breakfast when the tree had materialized. The boys had reckoned that climbing up the giant thing would be quite an achievement, so together they began pulling and pushing their way up. They didn't reach the top until a fair while later. However, it turned out that the gigantic tree was none other than Rooftrellen, the mystical roaming tree that paid visits to miscellaneous places, including the itchy bush. Sven had nicknamed Rooftrellen 'Big Oak' and claimed that Rooftrellen was too hard to remember.

Half-faded memories refreshed as Yurnero and Sven retold their past tales. They were each a reminiscence for each other. The two of them were so absorbed in conversation that Miss Krobelus had to call them for dinner half a dozen times before they heard it. Yurnero seated himself between Slark and Dragonus at the table and snarfed up the food on the plate in front of him. Dragonus mused at what a large appetite he had, but Yurnero shut him out. Or, until Shendelzare stomped up to him and demanded that Yurnero listen to what Dragonus was saying.

By the time the Dota 2 Phase had commenced, Rylai had reattached to Sven. Yurnero was disappointed because he wanted to discuss with his friend more, but Lyralei filled in Sven's role. Only it wasn't the same. Still, Yurnero managed to join Sven's game after begging Rylai in a childish manner (pretty please with sugar on top?). Yurnero wasn't prepared to befriend Rylai. Speaking of friends, Yurnero hadn't actually counted the number of ones he had, excluding Lanaya. Sven, Lyralei, Rubick, Traxex, Strygwyr, Terrorblade, Miss Krobelus, Darkterror, that would make eight.

By the next day, Yurnero had landed himself an enemy and an arch-rival. It started when Luna was on her usual rampage, challenging fellow heroes to fights in the arena. Finally, a brawny girl named Tresdin, accepted the duel. The two of them were neck to neck, but in the end, Luna managed to edge Tresdin out. Arrogant Carl tossed his longish blonde hair back and stepped up for the challenge. Traxex was given the position of doing the countdown.

"On the count of three." announced Traxex. She hadn't counted further than one, when the overrated boy started. Carl immediately gripped Luna's shoulders and dug his boot into her chest, forcing her into the sand. Luna hadn't been expecting this and even her power wasn't strong enough to retaliate from a setback like this.

Somewhere in the crowd, Yurnero watched, the 'Justice League' in him bubbling on the surface. Finally, he couldn't stand there helplessly and watch Luna be beaten to a pulp by Carl. Additionally, this could be his only chance to give Luna the impression that he wasn't a weakling. That would get her off him for a while.

Yurnero shoved his way through the intensely-watching crowd and rushed onto the sand. He grabbed Carl around the waist and hauled him off Luna. She took the opportunity to dust herself off and flashed Yurnero a face of minimal gratefulness. But he knew that she just wanted to appear tough to her arena followers. Under that determined face hid a face full of thanks. Yurnero realized that she'd never accept him as a Senpai, but he could tell that she was appreciative of his action.

Carl was much displeased after losing to Luna. As soon as they'd been given a fair start, he'd been thrashed in the sand. He gingerly rubbed a filthy strand of golden hair. Being his bighead self, the next thing he did was head upstairs and stare at his now imperfect reflection. A lumpy bruise was beginning to form on his right cheek. He shivered, imagining the teasing he was going to receive for it. His hair was now matted, knotty and sand-filled. That'd take hours to wash out. A gentle breeze whizzed through an open window, causing a grain of sand to fly in his eye. Carl blindly clawed at the blasted thing for dozens of seconds, before it came out.

"Drat that blasted Yurnero and his stupid friends," cursed Carl under his breath. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be looking so battered right now. Stupid, stupid, stupid, Yurnero." Why would a gorgeous person like him deserve such a sticky ending? It didn't make sense. He was no longer flawless Carl. From that moment on, Carl and Yurnero had become set nemeses. Carl made it official when he (powerfully) punched Yurnero's arm, leaving a larger bruise than his own.

As for Luna, she orally thanked Yurnero for dragging Carl away. They didn't form a distinct friendship, but instead had a gentle rivalry with each other. The best bonus from their small rivalry was the fact that he wasn't considered weak and puny by Luna anymore, so he wasn't a victim of her daily duel-challenge.

But then again, there were still those heroes that were impossible to get along with, such as Mirana. And Lanaya was irretrievable. Carl was too self-obsessed to befriend. Then again, Yurnero hadn't even met half of the home.


	5. Primal Split

The young postman zoomed down the road on his Batman motorbike. Jin'zakk halted his oddly customized vehicle with a screech and reached in his bag for letters. He checked the address on the envelopes, comparing them to the one on the tatty mailbox. Yes, this was 87 Avernus Drive. Jin'zakk strode over to the moss and rust covered letterbox and delivered the mail. The building was very queer. Untamed vines draped themselves around the spider-invested fence. Jin'zakk swore he saw a ghost darting in the vegetation.

"Whatever," he thought and shrugged his uncertainty off and hopped onto his motorbike, speeding down the road. It was just as well he left, because Miss Krobelus came floating her way to check the mail. Just the idea of a ghost living in the house could easily put Jin'zakk off delivering mail for life. By the time Miss Krobelus had reached the mailbox, Jin'zakk was long gone. The headmistress hummed softly whilst pulling letters out of the box. She cradled them in her arms and drifted back inside her home.

"Rubick, Strygwyr, Terrorblade," Miss Krobelus murmured to herself, reading out the recipients of the letters. She rounded up the heroes before distributing the letters to the three boys. Each one opened their envelope, puzzled about what they'd find inside. Miss Krobelus's home hardly received mail.

Rubick's face lit up when he read his letter and learned he had won a scholarship to Boush's University. Apparently, he'd sat a scholarship exam just before he came to Miss Krobelus. Aghanim, Rubick's father, had known he'd run away to Miss Krobelus and placed the letter back on Jin'zakk. Lanaya now clutched somewhat stubbornly onto his arm, despising the thought of being alone and stuck with Yurnero.

Strygwyr required help from Mortred to open his envelope due to his spasm, but could still independently read. The envelope contained Faerie Fire, a small green herb that was capable of soothing irritated parts of skin when crushed up. Mortred took a penknife from her pocket and began to crush the Faerie Fire with the flat side of the blade. She scooped up the green mass and carefully applied it to a red weal on his neck. Instantaneously, a cooling sensation spread around the red patch.

Yurnero was accompanying Terrorblade, who'd never been sent a letter. He'd seen his parents receive something called a bill in the post, but had no idea what it was. The point was, he still knew how to open an envelope. Inside was a letter posted from his brother regarding something he'd never probably thought about before.

'Dear brother, as you already know, today is your birthday. I've decided to be nice today and take you to Primal Split, the place that Dad always goes to. I've been dying to go there since you've left to go see the ghost lady and Dad said that I'm finally old enough to go! Below is a map to Primal Split. I'll meet you there at noon. Signed, Magina.'

Terrorblade was utterly bamboozled. His brother never did anything nice for him, let alone wish him a happy birthday. He didn't know what type of eatery Primal Split was, but he knew that his father went there when he wasn't obsessing over plants and trees. He glanced at the grandfather clock and its swinging pendulum. It was eight in the morning. That left a couple of hours to get prepared to meet his brother. Knowing Magina, he wasn't 100% convinced that this wasn't a prank. Maybe he'd find some sort of sorrow from his brother.

"It's okay, just go," reassured Yurnero, but not in a pushy way. "He's your brother isn't he? Have a good time with him!" Terrorblade was a little reluctant at first, recalling the way he'd been kicked out of the house, but thought the better of it and went upstairs to find some appropriate attire.

Miss Krobelus had sent a message through the Intercom system, saying that her friend, Farmer Abaddon, would be paying a visit to discuss future occupations with the heroes. Everyone but Shendelzare had met Abaddon, so most heroes were uncertain about him; it was believed that Miss Krobelus was friends with very absurd people. Shendelzare didn't follow this belief and had succeeded in making Dragonus more devoted to the ways of their headmistress.

Yurnero couldn't help being mildly enthusiastic about Abaddon's discussion. Back in the Isle of Masks, no one had a job, everyone was just required to pass down the sword fighting tradition to younger Juggernauts. Money was not necessary there, you had to obtain weapons by creating them yourself. Everything was manufactured with natural materials. Sven had told tales of jobs before, his father had been a knight. Yurnero knew that Sven's ambition was to follow in his father's footsteps for several years.

But what sort of dream could be take up? The Isle of Masks was a chunk of inhabited rubble, with no one to pass tradition onto. Following Sven's plans for the future would be fun, but Yurnero preferred speed over strength. Maybe he just wanted a quiet and ordinary lifestyle, but Yurnero felt as if he was missing something. There was something that was designed for him to do ever since he arrived at the home. The answer was in front of him. Hours ticked by.

* * *

Terrorblade adjusted his black leather jacket and stepped out of Miss Krobelus's hearse. Well, maybe it wasn't a hearse, but it sure reminded him of one. Anxious to meet his brother, he pushed open the beaten up door to Primal Split and stepped inside. A flabby panda with a big barrel of alcohol stood at the counter, drinking away. From what Terrorblade knew about alcohol, he knew it wasn't beneficial towards good health. Had his father, Furion, really been a regular visitor of this place? It would explain the frequent arguments that blew the roof off the house, but Terrorblade didn't want to think of his father as a drinker. Even if he hated him so. It just gave he, Terrorblade, the reputation of being a drinker's son.

"Welcome! I'm Mangix, what can I get you?" boomed the flabby panda, noticing the customer. Terrorblade picked up that Mangix had a habit of slurring off in his speech. Finally, the drunkard managed to regain consciousness and looked at the timetable on his unorganized desk, but it was the one from the previous day. Mangix began tossing crinkled timetables everywhere, trying to find the right one. At last, after many yells of frustration and torn papers, Mangix found the right one. He shoved Terrorblade into a seat that was to the opposite of…

"Magina?" uttered Terrorblade, not believing what his eyes were telling him. He didn't want to be given the title of Terrorblade, son of the 'Lord of Alcohol' and 'Brother of the Drinker'. "Well, I-I-I envisioned this place as, um, more of a coffee shop." Magina grinned wickedly and ruffled up his chestnut brown mohawk. He took another uncouth slurp from his keg. Mangix plunked down a full keg in front of Terrorblade, who slowly pushed it away from him.

"Isn't this place great?" blurted out Magina, eyeing Terrorblade's keg like an eagle. "Don't want it? I'll take yours." Magina snatched it up and smashed it down onto his side of the table. Terrorblade shook his head and took it back up to the counter. Better to let Mangix gulp it down than his brother. This hadn't been what he was expecting. He hadn't come to Primal Split to be surrounded by madmen. He glanced reproachfully at another table, where two odd men named Rigwarl and Ymir were having a violent brawl. "Happy birthday." snarled Magina, louder than necessary.

It was this statement that broke him down into tears. It wasn't the way Magina growled it that was upsetting. The reason why he was crying was because no one had actually said this to him before. No one, had ever, ever, wished him a happy birthday. Drunkards paused their heated arguments and brawls to look at them. Magina pulled Terrorblade up and dragged him to the counter.

"Pay up!" roared Mangix, probably irritable from all the drink. A foul stench of beer filled Magina's nostrils. Mangix slapped a set of poorly hand-written words on a piece of stained cardboard. Magina, who was actually educated and knew how to add, calculated the cost of their beer. But instead of drawing out a couple of bucks to pay, he shoved Terrorblade in front of him to deal with the money.

Terrorblade frantically turned his pockets inside out, searching for any money he could pay Mangix with. But considering the fact that he got his money from Miss Krobelus, there wasn't any. He was broke and there was nothing he could do to please Mangix. Soon, Mangix and the other drunkards had formed a ring around him, ready to bash him to bits. In a matter of seconds, a massive and raucous fight had taken place, Terrorblade being the target for everyone. He glared at Magina's money-stuffed pocket.

"Oh, I just found some money in my pocket," said Magina, acting as though it hadn't been sticking out a moment ago. Magina fished out his notes and tossed them at Mangix, who snatched them away. Terrorblade disbelievingly strode out the door, wondering how his brother could have such malicious intent. Magina threw one last happy birthday at his face, before walking off with his thumb out for a hitch home. Miss Krobelus was still waiting in her black car, hands gripping the wheel. Terrorblade opened the door of the car and slits inside, slamming the door behind him.

"How did it go, dear?" asked Miss Krobelus, revving up the engine into action. Terrorblade grimace and explained how Magina taken him to a pub. He explained Magina not paying for the money. The big brawl. Everything. He paused, debating over telling Miss Krobelus about the happy birthday bit. The two of them were in silence for the remainder of the journey. Meanwhile, Shendelzare and Dragonus were having a difficult time, trying to keep Mirana from trashing up the home.

"Mirana!" hissed Shendelzare for the fourth time. Mirana poked her tongue out and pulled a dumb face at her, paying no heed. "Headmistress will be back soon!" Dragonus wasn't being good at crowd-control; he was absent-mindedly fluttering around the place with his majestic wings. When Shendelzare saw this, she threw him a look of utter loathing. He had access to wings, something she could never have again. They'd been clipped when she was young, but she didn't mention it often, because the topic filled her with a deep hatred. Dragonus swiftly brought himself crashing down to the ground, not wishing to infuriate her.

*Click*

"She's back!" screamed Shendelzare. She didn't want to let Miss Krobelus down. The thought crushed Shendelzare, seeing Miss Krobelus shamefully looking down at the mess. And in those short seconds, the door has swung open. Shendelzare buried her face in her hands, bracing for the worst. Mirana shrunk into air, her body blurring. She had disappeared. "Pesky Moonlight Shadow," cursed Shendelzare.

"Oh, darlings," sighed an exasperated Miss Krobelus. She floated around, tut-tutting at the pigsty, which was mainly a pile of stuffed cats. "Mirana." Shendelzare smiled; Miss Krobelus wasn't that dumb. A couple of seconds later, Mirana had reappeared. Miss Krobelus stared disapprovingly at Mirana and motioned to the mess she'd made. Mirana groaned and got down on her hands and knees to pick them up and carry them away. Just as the last cat was transferred, a loud noise of knuckles rapping on wood echoed through the walls. Dragonus hobbled over on foot to open the door. Standing outside was Abaddon, who waved Dragonus a friendly hello.

Although his greeting would go under friendly, Abaddon himself didn't look very sociable. He was made of a strange, swirling black mist and had two glowing blue specks for eyes. If you were to touch him, your hands would go right through, yet his hood and clothes seemed to be held upstairs fine. His voice was husky and toneless that slightly creeped Dragonus out. Abaddon held out a misty palm for Dragonus to shake, but when the Skywrath took it, his talons clawed into nothing. To Dragonus, Abaddon was virtually a ghost.

"Krobelus," called Abaddon. "How nice it is to see you again. Haven't seen you since the boy dropped by for a stay." Miss Krobelus flashed him a smile of recognition. "So you wanted me to individually talk to the Runaways about their careers? The mistman picked up a role offered by Miss Krobelus. The newest heroes were at the top. "Yurnero?"

Yurnero stepped up to Abaddon and led him to his bedroom. The two of them placed themselves on the neat bed. Yurnero was feeling quite awkward, chatting with someone who'd he'd never met before. It was like speaking with a strange psychologist. He felt the urge to fiddle with something, such as the lace-hem of the quilt, but those penetrating eyes struck a great ordeal of fear into him. Who was going to start the conversation? It was sooner or later.

"Well, there was something that I really wanted to be in the future, see, but now I can't remember what it is," initiated Yurnero softly and truthfully. In his head, he begged that Abaddon would let him go. But there wasn't such luck. Instead, Abaddon insisted on helping him remember. Yurnero wanted to yell in frustration, but remained as passive as ever. After a number of guesses, Abaddon let Yurnero free. An enormous wave of relief washed over Yurnero as he scooted down the spiral staircase. But he had to admit, the farmer was a good-natured person. It was just his appearance that made Yurnero want to flee.

Sven went through the same process, only he enjoyed the company of Abaddon. Yurnero assumed that it was because the two of them actually had something serious to talk about. He and Abaddon had been playing a guessing game, which wasn't very fun. Sven didn't try and argue. It was already evident that their friendship was being destroyed by their separation. Whatever bond they'd mended the other afternoon when Rylai was asleep was melting again.

It was the feeling that took hold when a friend transfers to another school. Yurnero is in the place of the friend who stays at the school. Sven is in the place of the friend who changes schools. However, the two friends, Yurnero and Sven could go to the same tutoring centre each week in different classes. Once every week, the friends meet after tutoring is over, but here's the catch; they don't know what to say to each other. It's an awful feeling and a metaphor for Yurnero's situation.

"Maybe it's best if we don't speak with each other," whispered Sven, hollowly, without feeling. Pain shot through Yurnero's throat. He struggled against the choked sound that threatened to burst out. For Yurnero, that was the worst part about being male. That everyone expected you to be tough. If someone saw a female crying, they would consider it to be more natural than seeing a male crying. Back in the Isle of Masks, Yurnero hadn't joined the other young Juggernauts who liked sparring with one another. He had always been the sensitive oddball. Sven was the polar opposite of sensitive.

"Umm, yeah. Okay." sniffed Yurnero. No sign of grief crossed him. Sven nodded and abandoned Yurnero. Yurnero deserted the table they'd been sitting at and the awfulness of the situation sunk into him. If only he was like Sven! Someone like Sven could reject the problem easily. But rejecting the problem was equal to melting away the glue that held them together. And then breaking their friendship. Yurnero ran after Sven, too afraid of losing him.

Meanwhile, Mortred was sprawled across her bed with Abaddon. Although the farmer was meant to be asking Mortred about her desired career, Abaddon seemed more focused asking her connection questions. Thinking of Strygwyr, Mortred tried to answer them in a polite way, which was proving more challenges than expected. She practically didn't have any intuition on what to do. Mortred swallowed and looked Abaddon in the illuminating blue eyes.

"So where would we be in the future?" whispered Abaddon, caressing Mortred's delicate, soft, face. Somehow, the misty tendrils that touched her kept her warm, not cold. Mortred bit her lip and didn't respond for a while. In the future, she'd be with Strygwyr. Where would he be?

"I don't know," replied Mortred. "But you see, me and this guy called Strygwyr will be somewhere together. I'm sorry, but we can just be friends, I guess?" Mortred saw his eyes shift shape, revealing his sorrow. Knowing that she'd hurt him, Mortred didn't want to continue the conference. And she also knew that offering to be friends was a cliché. But if they weren't friends, then what would they be?

Abaddon looked fixedly at Mortred. This wasn't his first time being turned down. What was she supposed to do? She'd never dreamed of having this problem, because people usually judged her as a dangerous person by just by looking at her. Only Strygwyr had dared to interact with her and see under the murderous figure. Eventually, she couldn't bear seeing the disappointed eyes that mournfully stared at her.

Meld. Abaddon felt his mists stir as Mortred's senses did. And it wasn't done in a recoiling way. Wispy tendrils devoured Mortred in affection. Mortred's slender arms formed a ring around Abaddon, slightly gasping for air and locking helms with his. When he broke free, the sad look in his eyes had completely vanished.

"Better now?" smiled Mortred, the wisps curling away from her. Abaddon gave her a silent 'yes' with his gaze. Suddenly, people like Terrorblade came to her mind. They had no one nearby supporting them. They were abandoned, the quality that reflected off Abaddon. "I know how lonely you must be." Mortred didn't hesitate to go in for more. And suddenly, Abaddon had an epiphany. He knew what Yurnero had wanted to be when he grew up.

Meanwhile, Terrorblade stared down at his most imperfect seventeen-year old self. More scars and scabs had infiltrated his arms and legs. How could anyone be so cruel? Not even Mirana, Clinkz and Nessaj from childhood had ever been so capable of doing this.

He observed a Lesale Deathbringer slither across his desk and spew a blob of venom at one of his scars, which smarted painfully. He tried to sterilize the infected scar with antiseptic from Me Dazzle, but it wasn't doing much good. Stupid insect. Back in his childhood with Magina, their house had been infested with Netherdrakes. Every Summer, Magina caught the fly-like insects in a glass jar and let them try and poison him after the jar was full. It was another reason to add to the skyscraper-high list of reasons why to hate on his brother.


	6. Spectre

"Oh, never mind," shrugged Mirana inattentively. She couldn't care less about the putrid venom shooting out of the scar. She pulled a futile bandage from her pocket and slapped it onto the wound. The green substance was already seeping out of the plaster. Terrorblade winced at it and ripped off the bandage, deciding that it was best to let Mr Dazzle inspect his scar. He lifted himself off the ground and walked over to the Nursing Home next door, holding the limb with the wound in agony. Mirana wasn't a licensed doctor anyway.

"Excuse me, sir," Terrorblade waited for Mr Dazzle to finish talking on the Intercom to Miss Krobelus before revealing the scar to him. "It got infected by the venom of a Lesale Deathbringer. You gave me an antiseptic, but it didn't work. Is there any other treatment?" Terrorblade glanced hopefully at Mr Dazzle, who was inspecting the wound at different angles. Mr Dazzle kicked off the ground and his swivel-chair rotated over to the shelf with miscellaneous treatments on it. He pulled out a spray-can filled with dense blue liquid and held down on the nozzle. Blue particles danced their way into the scar.

"It might sting a lot today," warned Mr Dazzle, placing the spray-can back in its place on the shelf. "But the pain should lessen by tomorrow." Terrorblade got up and expressed his gratitude to Mr Dazzle before slipping out of the doorway. Mr Dazzle hadn't been lying. The intense stinging gnawed at him, but he endured it. He was accustomed to these sorts of misfortunes finding him. The thing that troubled him was Mirana's slack towards his injury. Did she care? He tried not to dwell on the thought. The last thing he needed was his irritability coming onto the scene.

Rubick had chosen to decline the offer to Boush's University, dedicating his time to studying with Lanaya. It was picked up that Rubick was no longer shy around females, concluding that Lanaya had really grown on him. Yurnero couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy, even though he knew it was pointless to want something out of reach.

He was also unwillingly envying Rylai more by the minute for her time occupied with Sven. Envy wasn't even closer to what Yurnero felt at her. It was a sheer hatred, boiling up, ready to be hurled at her. But if he wanted to spend some time with Sven, then he'd have to get involved with Rylai in a game of Truth or Dare. Although he claimed it to be a stupid game, he'd be willing to do anything to interact with Sven.

Yurnero found himself huddled up with Sven and Rylai around Lina's old phone. Rylai professed that she had been given permission to use it. She loaded up the Truth or Dare app and Yurnero resisted a grumble. Rylai pressed something and the on-screen bottle spun for a while before landing on 'truth'. Rylai giggled and prodded Sven in the ribs as a signal that it was his turn. Yurnero exhaled out in relief; his turn was last. Or it has seemed.

"Just kidding! Yuri can go first!" snickered Rylai, loving the horror demonstrated by his actions. Yurnero stuttered in disbelief. Yuri? Leave it to Rylai to spin his already unusual name into a nickname even stupider. And on top of that, she'd just dropped a major bomb on him. He collected and calmed himself. Heroes like Mirana probably did this all the time; how hard could it be? He waited for the verdict. "What do you honestly think of Lanaya?"

This was the other motive that caused Yurnero to despise this game so much. The questions always hit too close to personal business. How could he answer that? Of all heroes he'd met on his journey, Lanaya was hands down the hero that Yurnero's emotions were most complex towards. He certainly didn't like or dislike her on the whole. She'd made a fabulous friend, but her rejection had been overly bitter. And Yurnero didn't feel that he recognized her as an ordinary person.

"I guess she's okay," blurted out Yurnero, not bothering to elaborate. "I'm going to go to the bathroom." He took off like a shot without waiting to be excused. It wasn't that he needed to go. He just wanted a break from all of Rylai's, well, madness. Was 'okay' even the way he felt for Lanaya? He reminded himself that it didn't matter what he'd answered, it just mattered that he was away from Rylai. He swung a cubicle-door open and locked it. Yurnero sat on the toilet seat for a while, just absorbing the misery between he and Sven.

And then a sudden vexation took hold in the grief. Did Sven even care about all the efforts he was making to reconcile? The wrath began clawing out of the sorrow and compassion. Obviously Sven hadn't tried to reform their friendship! Was there even a point in trying to repair it? And it became clearer to Yurnero that Sven was playing very immature about the whole thing, expecting he, Yurnero, to make things better again.

He had a silent but furious fit in the cubicle, until he reckoned he heard an unearthly voice speaking to him. Yurnero stopped thrashing himself around. What was that? Whatever had spoken wasn't repeating itself. Or had anything spoken? He made an effort to recall what he'd heard.

After puzzling over it for a while and using Lanaya's tips for drawing conclusions, Yurnero had decided on a couple of things. For a start, the voice had belonged to a female. Secondly, whatever had been talking wasn't a regular being. He remembered that the voice had sounded like three voices rolled into one, each one processing after the previous one. The speech was also somewhat garbled, eliminating it to be a half-ghost similar to Miss Krobelus, who's words were fairly easy to understand.

Yurnero wasn't certain if he was hallucinating things, so he tossed the weird sounds behind him. All of a sudden, an ephemeral purple blur phased past Yurnero and faded away as quickly as it had arrived. Now Yurnero was genuinely alarmed. A ghostly chill cut him to the bone. He pinched himself to see if he was dreaming. No, he was awake. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He fleeted out of his cubicle and hurried back to where Sven and Rylai were sitting, still playing Truth or Dare.

"Uh, guys," spoke Yurnero, barely audible. Sven and Rylai continued playing. "Guys!" After Yurnero yelled it, Rylai hit the pause button in the screen and turned her undivided attention to him. Sven did the same. "There's something in the boy's bathrooms. It spoke to me and I sort of saw it gliding through the wall." Sven, who didn't hesitate to believe superstitious stories, got up and headed off to the bathroom. Rylai trailed behind him, despite that she wasn't permitted in the boy's bathrooms.

Sven indignantly forced the door open and glanced around, observing the tiled walls. There was no sign of anything ethereal or purple. Rylai disappeared into a cubicle peered inside the toilet bowl. She inspected each cubicle, except for the one on the far right, which was already occupied. When Yurnero called out of she'd found anything, she gave her head a dismissive shake.

Yurnero assumed that he'd just been hallucinating from all the anger he'd been feeling at that moment. The trio were about to exit the bathroom, when Yurnero heard the same echoey, jumbled voice. Sven and Rylai seemed to have heard it too, judging by the way they stopped in their tracks. And it was coming from the occupied cubicle. Yurnero herded them inside the adjacent cubicle and locked them inside so they could eavesdrop. He strained his ears to comprehend the words of the unknown phantom thing.

"Oh, I sense great potential in you. And this scar? Pfft, I can mend this if you join us. We could teach you our methods. Yes, that would suit you very well, why not? There's nothing bad about joining the world is illusions. Better to join the Illusory Gang than live with some dumb ghost. Come with me," crooned the extraterrestrial voice. There was a small gulp and a moment of silence. "Well?"

"No," rejected a familiar voice. Yurnero's heart sank. Terrorblade. "I don't need to meddle in such matters. I'm staying right here. Why would I need to learn how to create illusions? Forget it, this scar can heal on its own. Give it a rest, will you? You've been pestering and badgering and hounding me since I arrived here."

"Ugh, fine! Very well, I will go away, but feel free to join us whenever you like. We are located under this block of uselessness, just go down here," The was a pause, likely due to the thing gesturing somewhere to Terrorblade. "And then just follow those twists and turns. I bid good day to you."

A cloud of violet smoke spiraled from the cubicle and the door swayed open. Yurnero, Sven and Rylai remained concealed in their cubicle and waited with tension for Terrorblade to go away. He wouldn't be pleased to learn that they had been eavesdropping. When Rylai was adamant he was gone, the threw of them unlocked the door and plopped down back where they'd been playing Truth or Dare.

After they discussed ideas, Yurnero considered that it'd be best to just mind his own business. He'd already done enough snooping with Lanaya, investigating Mirana's life. Besides, it wasn't him being bugged continuously by a phantom. It wasn't his problem. He succeeded in persuading Sven and Rylai to stay put. That'd keep them from doing any stupid stuff. Yurnero wasn't haunted by the phantom since, until the following Education Week.

"Sweeties, it is now Bathroom Break. You may use the loo within these five minutes. Do hurry, I do not wish to waste any time," notified Miss Krobelus. Yurnero joined the sea of boys going to the bathroom. He was the last one to go; by the time he was locked up in his cubicle, all the other boys had filtered out and sat back down on their Yum Cha seats. It was fine by him. Similarly to Traxex, he had a passion for being alone and solitary. That was when a fume the color of deadly nightshade formed in front of him. It cleared away, divulging the ghost that Yurnero had thought he'd hallucinated.

'Gosh, Terrorblade must've had the same thing happen to him,' thought Yurnero. There was a spectre of violent energy hovering in mid-air in front of him, with blue specks identical to Abaddon's. But this apparition's wisps didn't influence a warming feeling on the skin. Just its sturdy glare was enough to immobilize Yurnero's limbs. What we he supposed to say? Yurnero figured that he might as well start a conversation. Maybe the spectre would repeat its words to Terrorblade to him.

"Oh hey, what were you saying to Terrorblade the other day?" Yurnero tried to get the ball rolling. The spectre simply scrutinized his mask and muttered something far beyond Yurnero's comprehending ability. The spectre vanished in a puff of energy, leaving Yurnero with no extra information. Nicknaming the phantom Spectre, Yurnero ambled back to the room where his fellow heroes were learning about chemical reactions. Carl greeted Yurnero with a painful Chinese Burn.

"Time is being wasted, peabrain! Precious learning time!" hissed Carl. Yurnero plunked down on his seat, unfazed by his nemesis's reaction, whilst Carl huffed. But Yurnero wasn't tuned into Miss Krobelus's rambling about cyanide and potassium. He was pondering about Spectre. Why was it that she hadn't refused to speak to Terrorblade, but had been reluctant on saying the same things to him? He suddenly yearned to know what Spectre had been spilling to Terrorblade.

Yurnero reviewed his options. He could ask Terrorblade, at the risk of another hero turning against him. He could also attempt locating Spectre and somehow get the words out of her. Neither of his plans were very friendly and Yurnero was still compelled to follow the rules in the Isle of Masks. However, when Yurnero reflected on his past actions, they weren't particularly positive either. Yurnero forced himself to stick to his own circumstances.

The next day, Slark reported of a similar incident in the bathrooms occurring. He had described of a purple steam swirling around in the toilet bowl and forming into a ghost. And it turned out that the appearance of Spectre wasn't only transpiring in the male bathrooms. A couple of hours after Slark had claimed to see Spectre, Lina discovered her lurking in the sink. Miss Krobelus attempted to put a magical seal on the toilets and drains with the help of Dragonus.

The heroes were greatly troubled by Spectre, who was now making visits to the bedrooms after bedtime. Seeing that the mystical seal hadn't worked, Miss Krobelus called for another round of Exorcism Duty. Spectre was unfazed by this and Miss Krobelus was forced to carry away a metal crate with Exorcism Duty ghosts trapped inside. Yurnero inquisitiveness grew. Why would Spectre be dying to roam around the home?

"Beats me," shrugged Sven, when Yurnero asked him. "And besides, what does it matter? She's not doing anything malicious to us. It's fine. Just shake it off, dude." Yurnero saw little amount of truth in Sven's answer, after catching him searching for Spectre in all the toilet bowls with Rylai.

And speaking of Rylai, Yurnero didn't find her as half-as-bad as he'd thought get to be. After getting used to her childish attitude, Yurnero supposed that she wasn't really all the stupid. He could see why she'd be a good match for Sven, who, too, had a fairly laid-back approach. Eventually, Yurnero's desire to unveil the secrets of Spectre won out. After the Dota 2 Phase, Yurnero and the other heroes spent the minimal time left sharing their beliefs about the home and its history.

"Terrorblade?" said Yurnero, nudging him gently with his elbow. The demon gave Yurnero his full attention. "Do you have any idea about that ghost appearing in the bathrooms? I was just wondering if you knew." Terrorblade's expression shifted into one of concern. Yurnero could see him trying to work his way around the question.

"Uhh, no. Don't know anything about that at all." replied Terrorblade rather evasively. Yurnero fought hard to maintain his straight expression. He would never quench that insatiable longing for knowledge about Spectre. Yurnero decided to listen to the fantasies that the other heroes were sharing, although he intended not to contribute any. Soon, he was lost in the world of the theories of his peers.

"…and then the dragon let loose a dozen immense balls of fire, hurling straight at Miss Krobelus! So she activated the Bloodstone and didn't die from the fireball, but ended up as someone half-dead and half-alive. Not wanting anyone else to suffer the same fate, she started up a home to keep runaway people safe from hazards like the dragon she'd encountered." said Lina, using dramatic body language to accompany her story.

"Nah, that's not right," frowned Carl, shaking his head. "I'm pretty sure Miss Krobelus was a scholar. And then one day she saw a homeless hoodoo named Zhakkarvo on the street. He promised her a secret gift if she could give him knowledge. So Miss Krobelus enlightened him with everything she knew and then he turned her into a half-ghost. She'd always wanted to know what it felt like to be dead, but still wanted to be alive. Miss Krobelus continued share her knowledge in a home with something called Education Week."

In the midst of the disputing, Shendelzare was giving furtive cringes at all of her peers' ridiculous stories. Dragonus kept hushed, not wanting to aggravate her further. Not one of them had hit the nail on the head. Shendelzare's fiery eyes flitted to the pedestal and microphone on the wooden plank stage. It was just what she required.

"Once, Miss Krobelus was helping her friend Darkterror become a psychologist." Shendelzare's amplified voice reduced the other stories to nothing. Dragonus saw that a pedestal had taken Shendelzare's original place.

"She noticed that a lot of his patients were having troubles at home and wanted to run away. Darkterror was fired after one of the workmen overheard Miss Krobelus explaining a plan to set up a home to him. They other psychologists reckoned that setting up a home would encourage running away, causing much distress to parents. Darkterror became a miner after that at Void's Point."

"It didn't worry her. She proceeded with her plan and turned her house into one for runaway children to stay in. The term given for them was known as Runaways. Bit by bit, heroes began to settle in her home. One of the earliest heroes was named Mercurial, who had been left behind when hey parents migrated to another country. She was a lively and outgoing person, but mildly gullible."

"One day, Mercurial was tricked into digging underground for treasure by me." Shendelzare bit her lip. "Mercurial dug an extensively deep hole and hopped into it. She was never seen again. We just assumed that she was dead."

"Ashamed for losing one of her first disciples, Miss Krobelus tried to commit suicide with a knife, forgetting that it was enchanted. She was permanently changed into a living ghost. I was sorry for what I did, killing off one of her followers, so I have tried to compensate ever since." concluded Shendelzare. Her eyes darted from face to face and she swapped positions with the pedestal with a pinch of humiliation.

After Shendelzare had completed her story, the heroes became mute. Yurnero sat still in the eerie atmosphere, feeling rather uncomfortable. He waited for someone to speak up, whilst taking Shendelzare's tale into account.

Was it true? Knowing that Shendelzare was one of Miss Krobelus's loyal followers, she'd probably have already been informed of the whole story. Or had she just been feeling rebellious and wanting to be heard over the others? However, her story did suggest she had witnessed the whole turn of events…

"Let's go to sleep; Miss Krobelus is gonna bust on us if she finds us here," said Lyralei curtly. She stood up and left the room. Lina stayed behind and put out the flickering fire in the hearth before hovering out. The heroes were other heroes including Sven, Rylai and Lyralei were obviously exhausted, so Yurnero didn't go out of his way to bother them. For some strange reason, he believed in Shendelzare's theory. There was an almost horrific suspicion that the story was related to the incidents in the bathrooms. Yurnero plodded into his room and flicked off the light-switch.


	7. The Aegis is Mine!

"Uuuuugh!" groaned Mirana, reading words off a poster. Standing beside her was Purist, who was saying 'oh'. Yurnero could tell that Mirana's words were written on his lips, although he was far too polite to say them. Sven came down to see what the hullabaloo was about. Yurnero's friend marched up to the poster and with some difficulty began reading out the words. Mirana was repeatedly screaming "I refuse to! I refuse!" over and over again. Yurnero shushed her, allowing Sven to read in peace.

"The poster says that today is Emergency Warrior Training Day, or E.W.T," Sven turned to Yurnero. "We're supposed to test our survivability and weaponry skills. Just in case the home is ever under siege. Training will be held in the gym," Mirana gave a gasp of revolt and tossed her regal chocolate-colored hair back. She bounced out of the room and found a place to sulk. Somewhere in the room, Luna and Tresdin exchanged a fist-bump.

"Alrighty, who's gonna wake up Shendel? Last one to say 'not-it' had gotta do it!" grinned Rylai. "Not it!" More cries of 'not-it' rang out through the crowd. Even Dragonus said 'not-it'. He knew how livid Shendelzare could be if she didn't get her dose of good quality sleep.

The last one to say the two words was some kid named Razor, who had had an operation on his throat at the age of five. The operation had unmistakably altered his voice, making it sound like he was speaking into a tin can. It also made his words come out slower. The changes would last until he turned thirty. Razor cursed under his breath at the difficult task that lay ahead of him. Yurnero couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy.

"Urgh, fine," grumbled Razor. With the awake heroes following behind him (excluding Mirana), Razor entered Shendelzare's bedroom. Razor's presence seemed to cause Shendelzare to have a more disturbed sleep, as she snuggled into the quilt and rolled onto her other side. Razor drew in a deep breath and poked Shendelzare's arm. After four pokes, Razor accidentally managed to send a surge of electricity through Shendelzare.

"Argh!" shrieked Shendelzare, as the electricity coursed through her arm. She sat bolt upright and sharply swung her head side to side, searching for the person who'd electrocuted her and trespassed into her room. The room was empty, if you didn't count Rylai giggling her head off. "Rylai! Who did this?!'"

"Razor duuuuh," chortled Rylai through her laughter. Shendelzare hustled Rylai out of the room and got dressed into her E.W.T uniform and stormed downstairs. Razor timidly hid behind a couch. Rylai mounted the words 'dead meat' to him. Razor sighed and waited with uneasiness until Shendelzare made her intimidating appearance.

"Razor!" hollered Shendelzare, homing in instantly on his ineffectual hiding place. With a yelp, Razor leapt out behind the sofa in a fright. "Argh, I'm gonna kill you!" she screamed as she bounded after him. Soon, Razor found a crazed Shendelzare yelling barbarically pursuing him all over the home. After a couple of rather amusing minutes, a very battered up Razor returned and indifferently seated himself on a Yum Cha seat. Shendelzare looked satisfied enough with the damage she'd inflicted.

"Okay sweeties, make your way to the gym on the third floor," Miss Krobelus's voice echoed through the intercom system. Shendelzare ordered the heroes into a straight line behind her and she began leading the way to the gym. Yurnero had never seen the third floor, or a way to access it. It turned out that there was a rippling patch in the air near the bathrooms on the second floors. On the day of training, the rippling space clarified into an elevator door, which could only be used to access the third floor.

Yurnero entered the awaiting elevator and waited for the other heroes to enter. Shendelzare, who was crammed near the button-panel, pressed the green one and the doors closed. The elevator shot up at an astonishing speed. There was no tumbling around because everyone was already squished up so tightly. Yurnero felt pity for Traxex, who was claustrophobic.

When the elevator finally reached the gym, the heroes emptied out onto the dojo-straw-carpet. Yurnero took a glimpse at his new surroundings. Various training-stations had been set up around the room. There was a weaponry-cabinet in the corner of the gym. Target-dummies flanked one side of the room.

"Now honeys, don't be afraid to try something new. I recommend that you take a partner with you to each station and train together." instructed Miss Krobelus, who was standing in the middle of the gym. Yurnero's hand reached out for Sven's. " Take a weapon if necessary. You may start training."

The heroes stampeded like a herd of rhinoceroses up to the weaponry-cabinet and flung open its doors, unveiling its contents. Inside the cabinet hung an impressive array of sharpened knives. Spears of all shapes and sizes were strapped to the back of the cabinet. Shining axes and spiked maces were pinned to the other sides of the doors. There was every weapon that you could name. Yurnero spied a single orange katana somewhere in the cabinet.

"That's mine," thought Yurnero as he fought his way to it before someone else took it. He yanked it free and escaped from the group of heroes struggling for weapons. Sven joined Yurnero at the sword-station, with a fancy Outcast Blade meant for wielding with two hands. Yurnero preferred the katana as it could be carried with one hand, but he wasn't as strong as Sven.

Yurnero tightened his grip around the hilt of his katana and drove the blade deep into a sack dummy, causing straw to spill out of it. After pulling it out, Yurnero performed a fade and threw the katana at a second sack dummy. The katana buried itself in the heart of the dummy up to the pommel.

Yurnero reminded himself that he couldn't stay at the sword-station all day, no matter how fun. After all, E.W.T was for training to defend the home. There would be some hazardous creatures that the katana would be useless against. He waited for Sven to halve his sack dummy with the edge of the Outcast Blade before finding another station to work at.

Even though the sword-station remained Yurnero's favorite, it turned out that some of the other stations weren't too shabby either. He and Sven visited the psychic-station, which got them involved in creating objects out of thin air in a zen state. Yurnero succeeded in creating a healing-ward that gave off an aura which cured wounds overtime. Sven was a more impatient type and came up with a magical gauntlet that could knock people unconscious.

After the psychic-station, Yurnero decided to focus back on weapons. Together with Sven, Traxex and Lyralei, Yurnero participated in the archery-station. Yurnero tried to recollect the tips that Lyralei had given him on Valentines Day, but most of it was fog. Lyralei showed Yurnero the different parts of a bow and demonstrated how to shoot an arrow. Yurnero still wasn't a toxophilite like Traxex or Lyralei, but he could shoot up to a standard that he was satisfied with.

"That was exhausting," wheezed Sven, stumbling out of the elevator for lunch. Miss Krobelus had hurriedly prepared some cold leftovers for them to eat. Yurnero wasn't picky. He gulped his food down and didn't let anything negative come out of his mouth, unlike Sven who was mumbling that the food reminded him of mashed dates. Thankfully, Abaddon dropped by and delivered some organic and juicy Bloodthorns. Sven said that they tasted of a mix of watermelon and orange.

When the heroes finished helping themselves to the Bloodthorns and cold lunch, Miss Krobelus announced that she'd be reviewing the skills the heroes had learnt individually. The training would be playing on a screen in each of the Runaway's rooms. Yurnero's mind focused on his katana and healing skills. He knew that Sven would be performing with his Outcast Blade. He wasn't sure about the talents of most of the other heroes.

"Oh hey there, Rylai, what are you going to be doing?" Yurnero asked his friend, aware that he was possibly implying that she was unable to do anything. But Rylai didn't see it that way. "You just don't really seem like the warrior kind of type.

"You'll see," said Rylai with a wink. "Aren't you and Sven doing that awesome blade thingamajig? Wish I knew how to do that, it looks really amazing. And someone told me you could create magical healing wards!" Yurnero humbly signaled for Rylai to stop; all her praise was causing him to feel egoistic. He prayed that no-one had been listening to her as he put his plate away and travelled back to his room to watch his screen.

On Yurnero's monitor, Shendelzare was being filmed taking some weapons from the for usage. She pulled out a plasma disc of some sort and thrust it around. A bluish-white projectile shot out of the disc and lodged into a dummy, disintegrating it. Apparently, Shendelzare had been training at the psychic-station too, as she had the ability to materialize mystical missiles. To finish off, Shendelzare displayed her well-known Nether Swap. Miss Krobelus looked impressed. She dismissed Shendelzare and called for Mortred.

Names were called and Runaways were dismissed from the Training Gym. Rylai and Sven hadn't had their go yet. Yurnero had begun to drift off to sleep, when Miss Krobelus's voice calling his name snapped him awake. He frantically glanced around his room, searching for the door.

"Yurnero? Please report to the Training Gym!" called Miss Krobelus. Yurnero rushed out the room and raced to the elevator. The metal doors slid open and Yurnero bolted into the elevator and repetitively activated the button to go to the third floor. Within dragging seconds, Yurnero found himself back in the Training Gym and took deep breaths to calm down from the adrenaline and exertion.

Where was that special weapon? Buried among the diverse weapons was the orange katana that Yurnero had worked with during the training session. Yurnero walked over and gathered up a couple of dummies that he could target. He aligned them before wielding the katana and taking his position three metres away from the his target.

Yurnero stared intently at the tip of the blade and the bullseye of the target, calculating the direction that he'd need to propel the sword in. Rearing back, Yurnero threw the katana. A brief, short thunk echoed around the room as the weapon flew through the air like one of Lyralei's arrows and sunk into the middle. Miss Krobelus jotted some notes down. Yurnero retrieved it and made a small cut in his arm, preparing for his next talent. A healing ward appeared and began giving off a green glow, healing the wound in his arm.

"Is that all?" asked Miss Krobelus, but not in a way that provoked the thought that she was disappointed. Yurnero nodded. "You may be dismissed." He exited the room, pleased with himself. Once he'd arrived in his room, he flopped on his bed to watch the rest of the broadcasting. "Rylai, please report to the Training Gym."

"This will be interesting," muttered Yurnero to himself. Rylai stepped across the dojo-straw-carpet, stopping at a gold crested with a blue adornment that looked like an ice crystal. She placed herself about two metres away from one of Yurnero's previously used dummies and gave the staff a wave. A pellet of ice shot out and smacked into the sack, causing it to freeze up and shatter. Rylai had the power to create ice with her staff.

Sven was called up next. As Rylai passed Yurnero's door, he opened it and gave her a 'well done'. She beamed in recognition and went on her way. Yurnero returned his attention to the screen, just it time to see Sven launch his magical gauntlet at an iron dummy.

Training Reviewing Time was closed off as the last candidate left the Gym. The elevator on the second floor faded away, readying itself for the next annual E.W.T. Yurnero chose to resume his nap, as there was a still a long period until dinnertime; a portion of the heroes had done the same. He cleared his mind and was about to enter a subconscious state, when...

YURNERO! Wake up!" nagged Rylai. Yurnero grumbled as he always did when someone interrupted his sleep. He particularly hated it when someone like Rylai with a voice that could blow a hole in a battleship did it. "Wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up!"

"Rylai! What was that for?" scolded Yurnero, the slits in his mask narrowing in irritation. "Couldn't you see that I was trying to sleep?! Like, is today 'Wake Everyone Up' day? Didn't think so! In case you can't remember, it was your idea to wake up Shendelzare!"

"But it was for a very good reason!" retorted Rylai. "Have you heard yourself snoring? You sound like a pig choking on its own saliva! A couple of nights ago, I could hear you through all the walls and whatnot. I even have a tape to prove my point, wanna hear?" Yurnero grunted and shook his head with jerky movements. "My sentiments as well." Rylai exited the room, huffing as she went.

Yurnero sighed; this time he wouldn't be able to sleep, after being woken up multiple times. He tossed and turned, agitated, around in bed, still furious with Rylai. Was he imagining, or was there a thumping noise coming from outside? No, it was real. Thump, thump, thump. Yurnero hurried over to the curtains and pulled them aside. A strange black monster with a luminous yellow spot on its forehead was heading for the home.

Something in Yurnero's instincts was telling him that this monster was a test, a challenge even, for the Runaways. Miss Krobelus could possibly be programming the monster, to put the newfound skills of the heroes to action.

The ringing of the doorbell reverberated through the building as the creature rang it. Carl was already running up to the door, other heroes trailing behind him. Yurnero hurried downstairs and leapt in front of Carl with his extraordinary speed. The black brute Yurnero had sighted outside crashed through the door, dropping a range of weapons, each one suited to a specific hero.

Yurnero scrambled around on the floor to retrieve a jade-green katana. All the Runaways had leapt on the poor beast and were driving it to its death. The typical archers were peppering it with arrows. Mortred was launching agony-filled daggers at it. Carl had summoned a meteor that looked more like a meatball. After much abuse, the creature fell and they pushed it out of the entrance. But there was something left behind.

"The Aegis is mine!" declared Carl, thrashing around in attempt to grab a piece of red stone bordered with black. Why did everyone want it so badly? Even Purist, who was usually demonstrating a positive manner, was fighting for the 'Aegis'. Throughout the squabbling, Terrorblade managed to pick up the stone. Like Yurnero and Sven, he was clueless to what it did. He took it under his arm and disappeared into his room.

"He doesn't even know what it does," complained Carl under his breath, throwing his hands up and stomping. "And even if he did, I need it more than him." Aiushtha directed a glare of sheer loathing at Carl and rolled her blue eyes that had slightly lost their color. The other heroes left, but not in great disbelief like Carl. Yurnero didn't want to ask Rylai about the Aegis, because he was still holding a small grudge about her.

"Hey Lyralei!" called Yurnero. Lyralei's trademark ginger head turned around, facing him. "What's the whole deal with the Aegis? What does it do? What was that black monster?" Lyralei walked back to Yurnero so she could answer his question.

"Oh, the black monster? That was Roshan. He visits us once every year after training is over and we're supposed to take him down. Every time we do this, he drops one of his Aegises of Immortality. They give you, well, immortality for about half a year. Right now, he's probably respawning back at his cavern because he always has an Aegis for himself. Was that helpful?" Yurnero nodded. "Do you want to hang out in my room?" Yurnero accepted the offer and took Lyralei's hand.

On the way to Lyralei's room, Yurnero caught sight of Shendelzare carving in a new name on a blackboard. Written on the border in gold was 'AEGIS WINNERS'. Now carved into the board was 'Terrorblade', just above Lyralei's name. Shendelzare finished her job and went into the kitchen to help Miss Krobelus cook dinner.

"Did you really win the Aegis once?" asked Yurnero, reading her name on the blackboard. Lyralei said yes, but didn't take it like big deal. Yurnero wondered what Lyralei would have done with her immortality. She could've possibly encountered Balanar and been torn to shreds. "And how did you use it?"

"Hmm, I think Traxex wanted to practise hitting a moving target. And then she wanted to practise on me," confessed Lyralei. "Oh, pshaw, it's not a big deal anyway, I don't see why people want it so badly." Yurnero thought of how all the heroes had been fighting to claim the Aegis for themselves. But Lyralei was right. Apart from Balanar, there were really no dangers in the home.

Meanwhile, Terrorblade flipped the Aegis around in his hands, pondering its uses. The black monster and the stone that was now his made no connection. But it had to be something of great worth, if everyone wanted it. It was the kind of thing Magina would want to steal. Terrorblade felt rather defensive of this stone, even though he didn't know what it did.

"Acha ozh." declared Terrorblade quietly in his demon tongue. It had been a long time since he'd spoken in his traditional language. Furion had banned him from speaking it as his brother saw it as a way to tease him. But Terrorblade had never said anything negative about Magina anyway. He wasn't permitted to.

Translation: Acha ozh translates to 'now mine'.


	8. A Day in the Dungeons

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the delay. I spent most of Saturday outside.**

* * *

Yurnero seated himself at the breakfast table with the others, expecting to see Miss Krobelus making her appearance. The sound of someone approaching grew louder and more distinct. But the person that arrived wasn't the headmistress that the disciples were used to. Instead, a succubus in her twenties stepped onto the scene. She had sleek black hair that ran halfway down her back and two ivory horns that protruded from the top of her head. Bat-like wings sprouted from her back.

"Where's the headmistress?" Shendelzare was the first Runaway to question about Miss Krobelus's disappearance. The substitute paced around the table. Yurnero felt exceedingly uncomfortable as she passed him. A cruel smirk took hold on the woman's face, one that signified took pleasure in watching them recoil back in fear.

"I'm Miss Akasha and I'm here because Miss Krobelus is unwell today," she purred in a seductive manner. "She has a mild case of Direburn. I'll be your caretaker for today. Now, how do you usually start the day, hmm? Could someone please answer my question? Anybody?" Sven raised a trembling hand. "You. Boy in the blue sweater."

"Umm, we usually have breakfast and then do whatever we want," answered Sven, holding out his empty breakfast-plate. "That's just about what Miss Krobelus lets us do. But sometimes we have Education Week and the name itself is pretty self-explanatory." Miss Akasha scowled with disappointment, wings flattening.

"For starters, there will be no saying the word 'umm' when addressing me," disapproved Miss Akasha, stressing the 'umm' with extra spite. "I'd say that Miss Krobelus is awfully soft on you. Doesn't she teach you a thing about discipline? Doesn't she punish you, or use a whip of some sort? Young man, speaking like that would've earned you two lashes from me." Sven shuddered when her back was turned.

Miss Akasha strode over to a table and picked up a role-call list with everyone's name on it. She whipped out a red pen and began calling out the names and marking them off. Yurnero had the same reaction towards the pen's ink as he did when he saw the backyard arena's stone walls. That was the day when he'd first arrived at the home. It was also the day that he'd wrestled against Luna and had surrendered to avoid being beaten to a pulp.

"Pardon me, Miss," objected an overweight boy that Yurnero had once played with during the Dota 2 Phase. The only thing Yurnero could remember about him was that he went under the pseudonym of 'FRESHMEAT'. Murmurs of agreement arose. "But aren't we supposed to eat breakfast now? I mean, a lot of us are hungry." Miss Akasha looked taken aback, surprised, even.

"While that's what you might do with Miss Krobelus, that's not what you do with me," grinned Miss Akasha. "There will be no breakfast today. You will wait until lunch to have something to eat. Until then, no food of any kind. Instead, you will watch the blue sweater boy have his punishment for disrespectfulness," Yurnero felt a now panicky Sven tense up. "Did you think I was being sarcastic?"

Yurnero, indeed, had thought that the substitute had been being sarcastic when she said that Sven's way of talking would earn him two lashes of a whip. In a short matter of time, Miss Akasha had tied Sven's hands behind his back with some excessively tight rope. Sven struggled against the bonds, but he was unable to free himself, despite his great strength. Yurnero desperately wanted to do something, but that would only result in punishment for both of them. So he turned his vision to the wall.

A sudden cracking sound rang out and a cry of pain followed. Miss Akasha didn't seem to feel any remorse in her work. Yurnero tried not to think of what Sven's back would look like. There was a second crack and yelp before Miss Akasha untied Sven's wrists. Yurnero's barely conscious friend staggered back to his seat and plopped down. The other heroes were immobilized with fear from what they'd just seen. Even Luna just sat there, speechless.

"Miss Akasha, you can't just whip disciples because you feel like it! That's just not right!" protested Shendelzare, standing up with indignity. Before anyone knew it, Shendelzare was in Sven's previous situation, ready to be whipped.

As Miss Akasha raised the whip, Shendelzare somehow managed to cast her Nether Swap on the succubus. Shendelzare grabbed the whip and let one of the tails flick into Miss Akasha's exposed back. The substitute seemed to be enjoying it though and in the end Shendelzare dumped it on the floor.

The pupils vacated their seats and left the room on empty stomachs. A couple of them were grumbling, especially Shendelzare and Sven. Yurnero didn't take any chances. He waited until they were out of earshot before gently asking Sven to reveal his wounds. Sven winced and pulled up the back of his sweater high enough for Yurnero to see. Two long gashes ran down Sven's back, each with blood streaming out.

"I can fix that," said Yurnero compassionately. Yurnero summoned his healing ward and placed it beside Sven, letting the green light illuminate and mend his cuts, the flow of blood staunching. But they both knew that the ward wouldn't be able to cure their hunger. A long, drawn out growl came from Yurnero's stomach at that moment.

"I can fix that," said Sven, half genuinely and half mockingly. He ran upstairs and returned with an unusually large chicken bun. "Here, eat up. I got it from Pudge. He's the guy who goes under 'FRESHMEAT'," Yurnero stared with uncertainty at the bun, memories of other Juggernauts sacrificing their food for him resurfacing. "It's okay, you can eat it." Yurnero took small and steady bites from it, feeling guilty, but better. "Come upstairs Yurnero, the other dudes are handing out food."

Sven escorted Yurnero to Pudge's room, where a lively mini banquet was being held. Apparently, the boy had been stashing food in his room ever since he arrived at the home. Yurnero was glad for it though and feasted upon it with the others.

Runaways took turns keeping on the lookout for Miss Akasha. A kid named Atropos who had a habit of dozing off was guarding the room, but evidently he wasn't vigilant enough, regardless awake or asleep. At least not enough to see Miss Akasha stomping up the stairs. Miss Akasha stormed into the room and the life drained from the party, replaced by fear.

"What is this?!" demanded Miss Akasha, eyes burning in hatred. "Did I not say that there was to be no food until lunchtime?! Well, you lot won't be getting any food for the rest of the day! COME DOWNSTAIRS RIGHT NOW!" The Runaways were too petrified to disobey. They aligned themselves into a line behind Miss Akasha and walked downstairs, without a word. There was no knowing what the sadistic woman would do next.

"I didn't know that there was a dungeon," murmured Rylai, only to be shot down by a glare from Miss Akasha. She and the others found themselves pinned against the wall, suspended by four iron chains that were linked to cuffs that required a special key to be unlocked. Two cuffs went around the hands and two went around the feet. Yurnero's cuffs painfully chafed his exposed wrists. He was thankful that he was wearing ankle boots that went just above his ankles. Weapons used for extra torture huddled in one corner.

Miss Akasha slammed the barred dungeon door behind her. Yurnero looked at the others. Luna was wrestling against her restraints, with very minimal success. The Runaways silently cheered her on, not wanting to attract any attention from Miss Akasha. At last, she broke free. Traxex, who had skinny wrists, required a small amount of help from Luna to escape her chains. Mirana was whining, so the two girls worked away at her bonds, frankly just to shut her up.

"We really need the key," panted Mirana uselessly picking at Terrorblade's cuffs. Luna scowled at her and went over to help. Traxex hated to admit it, but Mirana was right. Her own fingers were red and exhausted after picking at metal for what seemed like hours. Terrorblade slipped out of his cuffs. In the condition that the rescuers were in, Yurnero knew it would be a while until he was going to be freed. His gaze fell on something in Mirana's pocket and then a large dusty window.

"Mirana!" called Yurnero. Mirana's brunette hair whipped around and her regal eyes turned to him. "Why don't you use your lip balm to grease us out?" Mirana bit her lip, unwilling to get her lip balm dirty. She looked to Terrorblade for confirmation, but he was busy releasing Aiushtha.

Mirana weighed the consequences in her mind. If she handed over her lip balm, then she'd spare herself from picking at the cuffs without a key. If she didn't, then it would stay clean, but she would run the risk of chipping a nail. Mirana sighed and pulled the balm from her pocket. She began efficiently greasing away the restraints of each Runaway. Yurnero was relieved that Mirana had decided to use her fashion tools for the greater good.

"How are we going to get out of the dungeon?" asked Rubick, once everyone was free. Yurnero pointed to the window. Lanaya and Traxex, were assigned for the job, as they were the most elusive ones. The two of them scaled the wall with relative ease and slipped through the window, ending up at the home's rear end. Lanaya and Traxex crept through the back door, to see Miss Akasha tossing the dungeon keys a couple of centimetres into the air before catching them again.

Lanaya ventured towards Miss Akasha first, with her lighter tread. She counted the seconds between each toss. It was a four second interval. Lanaya waited for Miss Akasha to toss the keys again. Just as the keys left Miss Akasha's hand, Lanaya snatched them and ran off, unfortunately getting Miss Akasha's notice. The first one of Miss Akasha's knives whizzed at Lanaya, slicing her elbow. With difficulty, Lanaya threw the keys to Traxex, who caught them and barely evaded a second knife.

"Go!" yelled Lanaya, sliding to the floor and avoiding a third knife. Traxex frantically nodded and escaped through the back. Miss Akasha pounded upon her and held a dainty yet cruelly curved blade to her neck, ensuring that escaping would make Lanaya wind up decapitated. Lanaya gritted her teeth, breathing in slow and shallow breaths. "Lay off me!" she snapped.

"Best not to resist, although I love it when you struggle," teased Miss Akasha sadistically and innocently in the same voice she'd addressed the heroes in when they'd first met. "Don't lose your head," she snickered. Lanaya lay there helplessly as Miss Akasha began to work at her bleeding elbow, savoring the moment. The pool of red on the floor was expanding.

"The others should have escaped by now," thought Lanaya. But how long could it really take to come to her aid? Her question was answered when a navy colored arrow zipped at Miss Akasha. The knife at Lanaya's neck was removed and tossed towards Traxex, who was armed with a bow and a sheath of arrows. Lanaya focused her mind on creating psi blades that extended from both her hands.

Miss Akasha was more nimble than the girls had expected. Twice she'd managed to somersault over the deadly projectiles, avoiding lethal hits. She'd also sneakily pilfered arrows from Traxex's quiver, limiting get number of shots. More heroes arrived to help, but Miss Akasha remained undefeated. In fact, the whole time they'd been fighting, she was still unscathed. The battle began to intensify.

"Oh hello," someone said. The effect was immediate. Miss Akasha slipped her knife into her belt and the Runaways let their weapons clatter to the ground. Miss Krobelus glided towards the coffee machine, a red welt on her forearm. "Just came downstairs to get some coffee. I hope you've been taking care of them well, Akasha. You know, how you'refrom the School of Discipline."

"She didn't take very good care of us!" protested Shendelzare. Others nodded, having the same opinion as her. Miss Krobelus set her Espresso on a bloodstained breakfast table and gave an exasperated sigh. "And she didn't give us breakfast, then she whipped Sven about a trillion times, then she hung us up in a dungeon because we were eating in Pudge's room, then she gave Lanaya a death threat and then she broke about all our furniture whilst she was trying to kill us!"

"Now's not the time, Shendel," Miss Krobelus said whilst rubbing her eye and sipping her Espresso. Shendelzare stopped talking. Yurnero felt sympathy for the headmistress, knowing that she was expected to clean up all the mess and look after a bunch of teenagers after her Direburn got better. Miss Akasha gave a callous shrug as Miss Krobelus floated back upstairs to go and rest.

"Whatever," said Miss Akasha with ignorance. "My job is done here. I've inflicted as much agony as possible. I'm off to Primal Split." The heroes helplessly exchanged nervous glances, wondering what they were going to do without a caretaker. Pudge suggested to get some food down. Yurnero didn't consider it as a bad idea, but his first impulse had been to clean up the blood and broken furniture off the floor.

"I think that we should clean the debris off the floor first," suggested Yurnero. "Miss Krobelus will get really agitated if she has to do it." The majority sided with Pudge. Yurnero would've done so too, if Miss Krobelus was in proper condition. Sven, Rylai, Shendelzare, Lyralei and Traxex were willing to clean the floor with Yurnero. For hours they swept away shattered china and sprayed sanitizer on dirtied tiles.

Despite the sizeable chicken bun Yurnero had eaten in the morning, he was still starving for food. Not that he hadn't had a day that he didn't eat. There had been plenty of those days in the itchy bush, before Sven had discovered him and supplied him with food. But Sven was accustomed to being well-fed. And Sven hadn't consumed anything since yesterday dinnertime.

The group of six stored the janitor tools in the cupboard and headed upstairs to eat with the rest. The other Runaways had finished eating, but had preserved a large stash of food for them. Yurnero composed himself and steadied his eating rate. Sven was unable to stop working away at his chicken leg, no matter how much Yurnero tried to slow him down.

When Miss Krobelus felt steadier, she came downstairs to clear away the mess that Miss Akasha had left behind. Her pale ghostly-green face lit up into a smile of gratitude when she saw that some of her disciples had already done it for her. Miss Krobelus rewarded Yurnero, Sven, Rylai, Lyralei, Traxex and Shendelzare with an extra fifteen minutes of playing during the Dota 2 Phase, which Yurnero was enjoying more by the day.

"So tell me," began Miss Krobelus, after rounding up the Runaways after the Dota 2 Phase. "How did Miss Akasha operate with you people?" Everyone began speaking at once. "One at a time, dears." Some heroes stopped talking, but there were still multiple shouts of accusation flying everywhere. Miss Krobelus gave the chatterboxes the identical deathly stare she'd given Mirana on Valentine's Day, silencing them.

"Miss Akasha said that you were too soft on us," recalled Strygwyr in a hushed voice. "And then Sven said 'umm' whilst he was talking to her, so she made us watch her whip him. She cancelled breakfast for us." Miss Krobelus was flushed with anger and her hands had balled into fists. When Yurnero came to think of it, he'd never seen Miss Krobelus upset before. Strygwyr said no more.

"What happened to your elbow?" asked Miss Krobelus gently, caressing Lanaya's arm. The blood had dried up, but Yurnero could tell that the wound was cut down to the bone. Mirana gave a faint shriek and turned away. Miss Krobelus wasn't as squeamish and took a closer look at it, observing it from every angle. "Go see Mr Dazzle." instructed Miss Krobelus. Lanaya teetered off.

Miss Krobelus sent the heroes to bed and called lights out. Yurnero hadn't been lying in bed for very long, when there was the distinct sound of glass smashing and shattering. There was silence for a moment. Then the sound of Miss Krobelus yelling and cussing at someone or something. Any signs of positive emotions she'd felt when she saw the clean floors had vanished. Yurnero stepped out of his room to investigate.

"What? Look, I really can't afford that, Krob. I've only been getting a couple of rabbits for trade and no-one even wants to buy them!" protested someone. "The Stonemill is losing customers, you know. Please, Krob? I'm so sorry I broke your window. I can pay you later, I promise."

"No, Balanar!" snapped Miss Krobelus heatedly. So that's who the protester was. Balanar, the monster who'd chased him and Lyralei on his first night. "You know good and well that Mercurial isn't here. She isn't here. She's dead," Balanar began to whimper in the way that puppies do. "Fine, you can pay later. Find some venison or something. I'm sure there will be more people visiting the black market soon. Don't worry. Windows are expensive, though, I must warn you."

"But I miss Mercurial! I'm her beloved pet! Surely she misses me too! Can you find her, please? Please, Krob, old buddy, old pal, old friend?" pleaded Balanar. "Can you at least try? I know she's here somewhere. Where did you see her last?" Miss Krobelus rolled her eyes.

"I last saw her in a deep hole, half a century ago," said Miss Krobelus sarcastically and impatiently. "You'd better be on your way, Balanar. I don't want my disciples getting the impression that I'm part of some sinister undercover incorporation." Balanar whimpered again and Yurnero couldn't help but see him as a vulnerable whelp. Memories of seeing neighborhood boys searching for their pets resurfaced. The worry on their faces was impossible to miss.

There was a flapping of wings as Balanar left the home to go and hunt for game. Yurnero lay back in bed, replaying the conversation in his head. Mercurial. That was the name of the gullible girl in Shendelzare's story. Some of the pieces began to make sense. Balanar was looking for Mercurial, because he was her pet, fifty years ago. Obviously he'd just broken a window, doing so, and now he was required to go trade at Stonemill, the black market, so he could pay for it.

So Shendelzare's history of Miss Krobelus had been true. The mystery was just unfolding. But there were still more secrets awaiting to be discovered. Yurnero had just found one of them.


	9. More Direburn

Direburn wasn't a disease only infecting Miss Krobelus's home as Yurnero discovered on Saturday night. He and just about all the other Runaways (except for Purist, who went to bed early) had been channel surfing in the lounge on the pricey Panasonic Plasma TV and squabbling over the television remote control. Yurnero's hand stretched out for the remote control, before Carl's one smacked it away. Yurnero yelped and hastily drew his red hand back.

The luxurious screen alternated between shots of scenes from 'The Conjuring', 'The Theory of Everything', the news and other shows that Yurnero had no name for. Most heroes including him were intent on watching The Conjuring, but the small remainder of them including Carl had their hearts set on other programs.

"Don't you have to be fifteen or over to watch The Conjuring?" argued Carl whilst grappling for the remote. Luna whacked the control out of Carl's hand and tried to change the channel. Back, forth, back, forth. The programs came and went. After many changed channels, the television refused to display other programs. The Panasonic got stuck on the news report, featuring Harbinger the pessimistic news reporter.

"Oh, great," grumbled Luna, sarcastically and vexed. "You guys just broke the television. Now we can't watch anything apart from the amazing news report. I'm sure it's better than watching The Conjuring. Miss Krobelus will be so pleased. Well done." Luna threw her hands up and vacated her seat on the couch and stormed off to her bedroom. Yurnero was disappointed, but didn't say anything.

"I bring bad news," reported Harbinger in his typical dreary and monotonous voice. Runaways groaned, displaying the notoriety of the news reporter. Yurnero personally reckoned that Harbinger could do with a visit from Rylai. "Direburn is becoming a common problem around the country. Just recently, thousands of citizens have been diagnosed with the disease." Harbinger began rambling on about what Direburn was, devoid of emotion.

The video clips of helpless citizens succumbing to Direburn flickered and turned to black as the television was powered off. Lina rested the remote control on the couch. After having heard Harbinger's news report, Yurnero was filled with resolve and fear. Strygwyr's writhing body popped into his head. He couldn't let that happen to his other friends who were powerless against the disease.

"Hurry up Yuri, don't be such a slowpoke," Rylai prodded Yurnero, who was staring into space. He gradually pulled himself up and started dawdling off. "You move like the Blueheart Glacier." she quipped quietly, watching Yurnero aimlessly wandering around.

Miss Krobelus learnt about the precaution and had the heroes who were not immune to Direburn fitted with white strangely designed suits as soon as they awoke to the chilly morning. They would've looked fine on astronauts, but not on vulnerable teenagers. Miss Krobelus literally had to wrestle Mogul Khan into his protective suit, with the assistance of Shendelzare. And even then, their combined strength only just won over the tanned boy.

"But, Miss!" protested Carl, muffled by his helmet that prevented him receiving Directness and facial contact. "There's a booger on my face! I need to wipe it away!" He clawed at the helmet for emphasis. Miss Krobelus gave him a surly sideways glance and she tried to force Pudge into his gear, sweat pouring down her forehead. Rylai giggled at the nasal mucus threatening to roll down the curve of his upper lip.

Ding dong! The doorbell tinkled merrily and Miss Krobelus didn't go and answer it until Pudge was properly dressed in his suit. Abaddon appeared at the doorstep, his arms carrying a basket brimming with fresh crops. Mortred smiled at him and gave Abaddon a friendly wave which he returned. At once, Abaddon was tackled over by Miss Krobelus who had a spare suit in hand.

"Krobelus, I really don't think-" started Abaddon, wrestling against Miss Krobelus. Mortred gave him a rueful grin, dressed identically. Strygwyr didn't mind in the least. The Runaways engulfed Abaddon in a hug and let go so he could place his fruit and vegetable basket on a shelf. Yurnero tried a golden root from something Abaddon referred to as a Talent Tree.

"Well aren't you looking spiffy, Abbadon?" teased Mirana in a friendly manner, munching on a Talent Tree root. She was immune to Direburn. Instead of wearing one of the ridiculous safety outfits, Mirana was decked in a blue lace one-piece and pearl white high heels. The only word that Yurnero could actually use to describe her dad 'attractive'.

"Keep safe," reminded Miss Krobelus, speaking to Abbadon when it was time for him to go. She fidgeted with the collar of his outfit as if he was her grandson. Abbadon shot a small eye roll at Mortred and Strygwyr. Miss Krobelus looked him in the eye, a stony and disapproving expression on her face. "Abbadon, this is no laughing matter! Did you not see Harbinger's news report last night? You really should be aware, especially because you aren't immune to Direburn!"

"Well, no, actually, I didn't, Krobelus. I don't have a television, especially not one as expensive as yours," joked Abbadon flippantly. "Is it something to do with Direburn and the weird suit?" Miss Krobelus grumbled and said 'yes'. "I'll be on my way then." He retrieved his basket and mounted his steed. The horse reared back and galloped off.

"Miss Krobelus, why don't you have to wear a protective suit?" asked Carl, still digging at his transparent helmet and implying that she was being hypocritical. "AAARGH!" The booger shifted off centre a little. Miss Krobelus rubbed her temple and helped herself to a root before answering his question.

"Because, Carl," she sighed. "I used up my last suit on Abbadon. I didn't know that he was coming. I put the safety of others before me," Carl snorted out 'yeah right' and pulled a face. "I didn't do it because I thought the suits looked humiliating. In fact, I reckon that they look quite cute." Carl spluttered.

Miss Krobelus was occupied setting up medical tools for a vaccination against the epidemic, so she had Yurnero watch over the others. He paced around, gently berating any rule breakers and occasionally looking up at the gray sky. Why was Miss Krobelus taking so long? Yurnero was beginning to feel uncomfortable in the current circumstance, like he was being watched by someone.

The whistling sound of a zephyr whooshing by startled him. There was no wind, only the sound of it. The other Runaways left his notice as he searched for the source of his discomfort. Yurnero found it passing by the side of the home. A dozen or so cloaked figures filed past the window, ponytails of shady hues swishing at the back of their headpieces. He held his breath and ducked out of their view.

The ringing of the doorbell that Yurnero had anticipated chimed out. Miss Krobelus was forced to stop her vaccination preparation and see the visitor. This time only one hooded figure, perhaps the leader was there. Yurnero couldn't help thinking of the few similarities his fellow Runaway Mortred shared with the visitor. They both had the same black hair and dressed in identical colors; the two of them could be sisters, really.

"Is there a girl named Mortred here, by any chance?" asked the lookalike. Yurnero had expected her vocal cords to project a dark and husky sound, but instead a pleasant voice with a French accent came out. "She's about fifteen, got long black hair, celadon green eyes, sound familiar?" Yurnero remained dubious about the regardless of her innocent demeanor.

"Yes, I do know a Mortred in here," replied Miss Krobelus with recognition. "I'll get her for you, just give me a second," The visitor stood in the doorway with patience, which unnerved Yurnero even further. "Mortred!" called Miss Krobelus. Mortred bounded down the stairs to see the person who had requested for her. Her heart plummeted into her stomach when she saw the visitor.

The visitor beamed and tightly clasped her bony hands together. "There you are, Mortred. Come, I have things to tell you about," Mortred let out a slight choking sound in her throat and took her position beside the person. The visitor turned to Miss Krobelus. "Is there a place where we could have some privacy?"

"Why don't you talk to her in her bedroom?" suggested Miss Krobelus. "She'll show you where it is. I've got to go prepare for a vaccination." And with that, she left, the tail of her white coat swishing behind. Yurnero walked off to go surveil the other Runaways, although he was itching to learn some more. It took memories of watching the execution of his grandfather to prevent himself eavesdropping on Mortred.

It had been the usual humid and sultry climate in the Isle of Masks. Yurnero was four years of age at the time. His parents had been drinking tea around a bamboo table whilst he'd been sitting in his mother's lap. They lived in a small and uncomfortable place with the floor area of about two rugs.

Pure water was accessible and tea came from the Camellia Sinensis shrubs in their territory. Rice was available too, but meat was scarce and Yurnero's family was in poverty and Yurnero wasn't getting the protein boys his age needed. Because of this, the family was forced to stash away an illegal meat known as Edole. Yurnero's parents fed him the Edole instead in desperation.

Yurnero's grandfather had an occupation as a Sataval. Being a Sataval meant that you had to go around on a large and heavy carriage, picking up Juggernauts in need of a transport. Most of the time, Satavals had to drop Juggernauts off at their jobs. The exhausting part was that the Sataval was required to pedal and propel the carriage as there were no horses for the job. Satavals received low pay, but were allowed to keep the carriage as means of private transport.

Whilst Yurnero and his parents were sitting around the bamboo table, feeding on the meagre supply of Edole, Yurnero's grandfather was hard at work pedaling for two Juggernauts headed for a rice farm near the malnourished family's home. He overheard them discussing and planning a robbery. As his grandfather listened more, it appeared that the passengers were attempting to steal the Edole from Yurnero's home.

Yurnero's grandfather finished up his job at late afternoon and reported what he'd heard to the police, but it backfired when they learned that he was in possession of the banned meat. The next day after the trial, a guillotine was prepared. Yurnero hadn't actually witnessed the event because he'd stayed at home with his mother. His parents fed him excuses for the disappearance of his grandfather, but eventually he learned the truth.

"No more eavesdropping," Yurnero reminded himself. He left Mortred to guide the visitor upstairs and Miss Krobelus announced that she was almost finished with preparations. Shendelzare offered to take over him as watchman. Yurnero accepted Shendelzare's offer with gratitude and went to join Sven and Rylai in a light-hearted game of 'Catch the Sword'. It probably wasn't the wisest game to play, but entertaining nonetheless. And even if they got slight injuries, there was always Yurnero's healing ward.

"Argh!" yelped Rylai, just avoiding getting her wrist cut. She fumbled with the sword for a bit before stably gripping it by the hilt. "Catch, Sven!" Sven was unprepared and daydreaming as the sword flew towards him. Yurnero gave him a small nudge. Fortunately, the blade narrowly missed his face. Yurnero began to crack up. Laughing was something he didn't do often. Soon, all three of them were doing the same. Yurnero's hands were trembling so hard from laughter that he dropped the sword on his shin.

The afternoon was approaching and it was finalized that the vaccination would commence after lunch. Shendelzare had already cooked lunch, much to Miss Krobelus's delight. The Runaways weren't as pleased as their caretaker. Shendelzare was not the best chef and served them soggy, transparent noodles with greens that were rock hard from cold. Yurnero and the others were grateful for it though and managed to swallow it down.

Mortred was still absent. The others were beginning to worry about her, especially Strygwyr. Purist was displaying his usual concern, only he didn't seem very indifferent. Rylai began teasing Purist, insisting that he had a crush on Mortred, which was successfully irritating him and disgusting Strygwyr at the same time. Yurnero wondered how the goody-two-shoes boy got on in life, with everyone taking advantage of his limited usage of words.

"You like her! You like her! You like her!" repeated Rylai in a sing song tune as Miss Krobelus called Atropos for his vaccination. Purist was trying not to lose his temper, which was very entertaining for the spectators. "You like her and you know it!" Strygwyr shot Purist am angry look. "Aww, it's a shame Mommy won't let you have a girlfriend when you're thirteen."

"Bet you ten bucks that the weenie is gonna snap within the next minute," whispered Luna out of the corner of her mouth to Lina furtively. Purist's face was turning into the shade of a tomato. Lina whispered 'you're on' to Luna and started up the blue stopwatch on Luna's wrist, counting the seconds ticking by. "One. Two. Three. Four."

"I don't have a crush on Mortred," stated Purist distinctly as if he was trying not to explode. Rylai giggled. Purist frowned and scrunched his eyebrows. "Stop it, I don't like it. Mortred is not my girlfriend." Yurnero didn't publicly make fun of the angelic Runaway or further add to his humiliation. The Isle of Masks had taught him a lot of discipline lessons, most of which he put to good use. Mirana joined in the teasing.

"I know you like her, Purist. I even caught a video of you for proof on my phone. Wanna see?" smirked Mirana, holding her pearly phone in her smooth, manicured hand. Without waiting for Purist's response, Mirana completed the pattern that unlocked her mobile and scrolled through her videos until she found the right one, a short six second clip. "Huh, take a look." Mirana clicked the play button and displayed the screen to everyone else.

Mirana's phone showed Purist on Valentine's Day, the day that Strygwyr had suffered from the effects of Direburn. Yurnero didn't remember much of what happened before the creating of the medicine for Skitskurr. He'd spent all that time with Lyralei. Purist crept up to Mortred's door whilst she was downstairs and placed a box of dark chocolates complete with a black rose at the foot of the door.

"Argh! I give up, you blonde and brown haired bimbos!" roared Purist as Luna and Lina counted the number twenty-five. Purist whapped his hands over his mouth as the words came out and Lina passed Luna a ten dollar note. "Beg my pardon." he muttered and walked off. There was an awkward silence before Rylai laughed and triggered everyone else to do so. Atropos returned from his vaccination plodding along woozily and Miss Krobelus called for a kid named Demnok Lannik with stubble on his chin.

Mortred finished up her conversation with the visitor and returned downstairs, looking rather shaky and frightened. She opened the door to let the visitor out, bid farewell and closed it shut. The Runaways waved their hands up in the air to notify Mortred of their whereabouts. Mortred hustled over to join them and gave Strygwyr a brief hug. Yurnero pushed down the will to ask her about her chat. Purist scooted over to rejoin the group, most likely because of Mortred's presence.

"So what was the whole gig about, Mortred?" pressed Sven calmly, echoing Yurnero's thoughts. Mortred collected a deep breath and gave Shendelzare an evasive glance. It was crystal clear that she wasn't keen on giving the throng details. Sven didn't ask after that. All the life had drained out of the party. Yurnero felt awkward in the somber mood and wished that Rylai would do something to lighten things up.

"It was one of my Veiled Sisters," said Mortred out of the blue. "She wanted to give me a contract to kill someone, but I rejected it." Yurnero felt sorrow for her, but had no advice to give. The gloom of the situation seemed to disappear as Mortred smiled. "Anyone up for the arena?" Yurnero didn't mind. In fact, he had a strange enthusiasm that made him feel as if he could take on Luna.

"Hell yeah!" exclaimed Luna with vehemence and passion. "Who's with me?" No-one objected and followed Luna out the back door and over the stone wall. Yurnero could cross it with ease now. Rylai volunteered to wrestle with Luna and the others seated themselves in the crude grandstands. Luna intimidatingly rolled up her sleeves and Rylai stood there, looking incredibly vulnerable.

Tresdin blew the newly installed brass horn that signaled they could start sparring. Luna rampaged at Rylai, who was a good deal away. Yurnero and Sven braced themselves for the sickening sound of a fist punching into a stomach, but instead they heard the impact of something falling into sand. Rylai had stuck her leg out at the last moment and tripped Luna over. As Rylai pinned Luna to the ground, Tresdin blew the bronze instrument again to signal the end of the match.

"Wow, she actually beat Luna," whispered Sven, awestruck. Rylai shook hands with her former opponent and exchanged hi-fives with Yurnero and Sven. "That was amazing, Rylai. You ended Luna's winning streak!" Rylai sat down on her seat of rock like it was no big deal. Demnok Lannik appeared outside of the arena and Tresdin had to help pull him over the wall.

"Vaccinations are done for the day," Demnok announced. "I got mine done just before a golem busted in and destroyed Miss's prepping." But the other Runaways was too carefree to worry about Direburn. So on they went, wrestling each other in the gentle rays of the sun until Miss Krobelus shepherded them in for dinner and protection from Balanar roaming the woods.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I'm back from my break now, so expect some faster updates. I'd like to thank all the people who've reviewed the story as well. All reviewers will get a special mention at the end of the story.**


	10. The Roundup

Once in the neighborhood of the itchy bush, when Yurnero was eleven years old, there was a twelve year old boy named Ostarion. He was infamous for going around and bullying anyone younger than him. Yurnero had never feared Ostarion and one day ended up in a fight with him, which resulted in dozens of bruises, two black eyes and a long scar on his forearm. Not that the wounds caused him to be frightened of Ostarion.

Now Yurnero glared up at Carl, both of them panting heavily for breath. A battered up Mirana lay the ground, a small moan escaping her lips. Yurnero had found it in his heart to stand up for even people like her. Miss Krobelus was out the whole day visiting Darkterror and catching up with him. Shendel, who was supposed to be looking after them, had slept in (again) and no-one was bothered to wake her up, remembering what had happened when Razor had done so.

"Just lay off her," growled Yurnero at his nemesis through gritted teeth. Carl was unfazed by Yurnero's words. Even the poor state of his blonde tresses didn't seem to trouble him. Without warning, Carl stepped forward and slapped Yurnero so hard he almost blacked out. Stars of uneven sizes danced across Yurnero's vision. Yurnero wondered if they were real or from his hallucinations.

Someone, presumably Sven, had stepped forward indignantly and was now screaming a lot of insulting things at Carl. The pain from Carl's slap was still blinding. Mirana was pulling off a set of impressive roundhouse kicks in her high heels and delivered furious punches to Carl's head, which made Yurnero twice as confused as he was before. Barbaric yells and imitations of the hisses of angry cats bounced around in Yurnero's head as he fell unconscious.

How long had it been? Yurnero jolted out of his stupor. Sven's concerned face was leaning over him. Yurnero realized that he was sitting in one of Mr Dazzle's white massaging beds. The robotic aluminium hands had stopped rubbing his back; Mr Dazzle must've switched them off. The turn of events suddenly called back to Yurnero. Watching Carl physically abusing Mirana. Standing up and exchanging forceful punches with him. Feeling the impact of Carl clocking him.

"You're lucky," said Sven longingly. "I wish I could have a go at one of those beds," Yurnero tried to give him an icy and disapproving stare, but only found slight joy. "Anyway, how are you feeling?" At this, one of Yurnero's hands flew to his left cheek. He gingerly touched the purplish bruise that now marked the side of his face. "You missed the best part. Mirana went all aggro and tried karate kicking Carl. One of her heels struck him in the face."

Yurnero judged it to be about ten in the morning. Surely Shendelzare would've woken up by then, to prevent anymore fights. Mr Dazzle came over and released Yurnero from the bed so he could leave the nursing area. Yurnero was still feeling a little groggy, so Sven aided him in leaving the room and closed the door behind them. His now cold breakfast awaited on the table. Sven had also left his breakfast alone, so the two of them could eat together. Yurnero gave Sven a wry smile and took a spoonful.

Shendelzare took their bowls to clean once they were empty and suggested that they went outside. Yurnero slid on his boots and strolled into the garden. Where was everyone? The arena was devoid of Runaways. The swimming pool's surface was still and motionless. The tree branches swayed without burden. Yurnero and Sven twisted around the hedges and saw almost everyone sprawled on the slightly crimson grass. Everyone except for Carl.

Lina was imprisoned in Carl's grasp, about to be pummeled like the others. A beat up kid named Davion was trying to nicely ask Carl to let her go. Rylai had a 'stroke-face' on. Lina's seemed more than a little irritated by Davion and gave a small scowl. "I'm not a damsel in distress, Dave. I'm perfectly capable of taking on bullies on my own. TAKE THIS!" Lina reared back over of her skinny legs and slammed it into Carl's stomach. Carl let out a cry of pain and dropped Lina on the ground.

"Not again!" Yurnero thought dejectedly to himself. Just seeing over of his fellow Runaways getting bullied was enough for him for a day. And now this? He advised himself to avoid starting anymore mini world wars with Carl. As childish as it sounded, the only option Yurnero really thought he had was to alert someone about the Carl incident. "Shendelzare!" he called. There was a clinking of soapy bowls and Shendelzare hurried around the corner of the hedge.

"What's going on?!" she roared. Yurnero was the first to speak and dobbed on Carl, explaining the hectic morning they'd been subjected to. Carl looked aghast, but the witnesses knew that he was faking. As much as Yurnero hated to admit it, Carl was pretty accomplished at acting and his acting seemed to make Shendelzare doubt the truth in their story. Yurnero felt like ripping Carl's fake surprise off his face. He pushed his irritation down and stayed neutral. "Just stay out of trouble, all of you." sighed Shendelzare.

Everyone excluding Carl tried to stay true to Shendelzare's word. Carl whined for what seemed like eternity until Rylai shut him up by telling him that the meteors he sent at Roshan the other day looked more like meatballs. Yurnero suddenly felt introversive and didn't really feel like talking to anyone anymore. He silently ate Shendelzare's mushy salad and headed into his bedroom. And that's when he heard it. It wasn't Carl. It was the thing who'd haunted him and the others weeks ago. And Yurnero thought it was gone for good.

"Hello," warbled Spectre unpleasantly. Yurnero felt ice run through his veins, rooting him to the spot. "Do you know where Balanar and Terrorblade are?" Yurnero forced himself to hold his ground. "Tell me the truth, don't be shy." Telling the truth or rounding up anyone to speak to Spectre was the last thing Yurnero felt like doing, especially a crazed thing in the forest. He told himself it would be all over in a couple of seconds, but all he wanted to do was collapse in fright on his bed and scream his lungs out.

"Sh-sh-shi-" stuttered Yurnero, before catching his tongue. "Sorry, I meant shiz, that's really cool! Yeah, I'll get them for you, one second." He fibbed. There was a pause as Spectre considered it. Yurnero didn't hesitate. He bolted out the room and concealed himself in the greenery. Someone kicked him in the shins. Yurnero winced and turned around to see Mirana. "What are you doing here?" hissed Yurnero. Mirana rolled her eyes.

"Some freaky helluva ghost just dropped on me and asked if I knew where Terrorblade or someone called 'banana' or something was, so, I, like, hid in here, enough details for you?" she said exasperatedly, throwing up her white manicured hands. Yurnero nodded. "Anyways, now you've got to tell me why you've decided to become a stalker." Yurnero sighed and explained everything.

"There's no use in hiding," snarled Spectre threateningly. "I know exactly where you are!" Yurnero swallowed, but Mirana was so paralyzed with terror, that she gave in immediately. Yurnero cringed. He had to refrain himself from screaming at Mirana. "Good." The sound of the fluttering of bats filled Yurnero's ears and Spectre's unearthly voice left them. Yurnero face-palmed and Mirana huffed in annoyance at him.

"Now what do we do, huh?" grumbled Yurnero, his voice dripping with accusation. "I'm not really in the mood to go hunting for some savage creature in the woods," Then remembering that Mirana didn't know about Balanar, he quickly added, "That's Balanar in a nutshell for you. And I doubt that Terrorblade would want to come back and talk to some creep!" His whispers were becoming more like yells. Mirana was unfazed by his anger. 'Some nerve she's got.' he thought.

"Of course Terrorblade wouldn't want to talk to a creep like you," said Mirana, rolling her eyes. "Which is why I'll round up Terrorblade, and you'll get 'Banana'," Yurnero began to protest, but Mirana cut him off by raising her hand. "This is not open for argument! I get Terrorblade and you get Banana. Understand?" Yurnero didn't say anything. Mirana went inside the home to fetch Terrorblade, leaving Yurnero wondering how he was going to complete the impossible task he'd been left with.

'Keep your wits about you,' coached Yurnero mentally as he reached the border of the backyard. Dead black winter trees drooped beyond the safety of the fence. He whipped his head from side to side to make sure no-one was watching him. Yurnero pulled himself up and clambered over the fence, in knowledge that he might not ever clamber over the fence again, or do anything else for that matter. It didn't matter, he just wanted Spectre to go away and leave him alone. And being dead would still achieve the same goal.

The moonless woods that housed Balanar enveloped Yurnero. Game waiting to be pounced on scurried before him in fear. In the black horizon, Yurnero made out a tavern in the distance with smoke billowing out the chimney. Balanar had referred to it as Stonemill. Yurnero allowed himself to go to no more past Stonemill. He didn't dare call out for Balanar in fear that he could attract the attention of another deadly beast. 'Maybe I can bait him in'.

Yurnero found a long and sharp sliver of bark that could serve as a spear under a wilted tree. A wild turkey came strolling by, only to be killed by the crude spear piercing it through the eye. Yurnero pulled off a deadened root from the undergrowth with the wood and used it to tie the turkey to the end of his spear. He waved around the spear for a couple of minutes, but Balanar did not come. Yurnero was beginning to panic now. Surely Mirana would've coaxed Terrorblade to come out already. Time was running out.

"B-balanar?" Yurnero stammered shyly. No response. "Balanar? Mercurial wanted to see you!" The only reply he was getting was his voice reverberating back at him. Now he was starting to get rather fed up at the vacant responses. "Balanar! Mercurial wanted to see you!" he yelled. "BALANAR!" Yurnero compelled himself to take deep breaths. If he was Balanar, where would he be? The other night's conversation came to him. Miss Krobelus had told him that he had to go to the black market to repay for the window he smashed. Maybe, just maybe, Balanar was at Stonemill.

Yurnero knocked on the rickety door of Stonemill. A squat man who looked more like a goblin with brown trousers answered him. Rings pierced his elvish ears and a rag mask covered half his nose and all of his mouth. It definitely was not Balanar, but there was a good chance that the strange man knew him. Yurnero mustered up the courage to speak, but not before the stranger got a word in. "Gondar the Bounty Hunter at your service," he said in a raspy and gravely voice. "Come in. Make yourself at home."

"I'm looking for someone called Balanar," explained Yurnero to Gondar. He didn't know whether to trust the Bounty Hunter or not. Gondar gave him a look that told Yurnero he wanted details. Details. "He's got wings, a triangular mouth, usually wears red pants, broke a window the other day." Yurnero prayed that Gondar knew who he was talking about. Gondar cocked his head around for a bit, considering Yurnero's words. "Do you know him or not?!" snapped Yurnero impatiently, like Meepo having a tantrum.

"Now, now, don't be sulky," said Gondar. To Yurnero, his words sounding more mocking than compassionate, which made him even more annoyed. "Okay, I think I've got your guy. I'll have a check around for him. You stay here and wait." Gondar disappeared into another room. Suddenly it occurred to Yurnero that he was in a black market. Black. Market. Weren't black markets illegal? Yurnero had never been properly educated, but he'd heard Ostarion talking about them a lot.

Gondar returned with Balanar, who was dressed in a deer hide coat. There was no resemblance of a puppy unlike the other night, which made Yurnero feel foolish for coming for him. Balanar scowled at him, with the carcass of a rabbit in one hand. "You wanted to see me?" growled Balanar, as if he was on restraints or something. Yurnero translated Balanar's words into 'I want to rip your eyes out'. There was nothing Yurnero could do but continue with the plan.

"Yeah, I did actually want to talk to you," he replied, nonchalantly. Then he hastily added, "It's about Spectre. She wanted to see you," Balanar's domineering attitude seemed to change slightly. Gondar offered to hold the dead rabbit and Balanar followed Yurnero into a secluded room with two chairs. They each sat down and Yurnero began talking. "Spectre asked me if I could arrange for you to see her." Balanar's yellow eyes widened and Yurnero knew that he had succeeded.

"Ok, I'll come," grinned Balanar toothily, flashing rows of jagged teeth. "Lemme just arrange a trade and I'll be ready to go." Yurnero nodded and sat patiently in his chair and waited for Balanar to rid of the dead rabbit in exchange for money, which was probably supposed to go towards the window he'd smashed. But Yurnero didn't mention it in case it caused Balanar to turn on him. Gondar clicked open the entry door and allowed Yurnero and Balanar to pass.

Balanar expertly guided Yurnero through the woods, weaving through shortcuts in the trees and swiftly running and avoiding the tangly undergrowth. In no time, they approached the fence. Yurnero heard Spectre in his ear again. "Very good. Now bring him until Terrorblade's room," Yurnero's heart plummeted into his stomach. There was a good chance that Shendelzare would notice Balanar creeping through the home and send him off. But he had to continue.

Yurnero told Balanar to stay outside for the time being. He rushed inside to where Sven and Rylai were. "Sven!" he whispered. "No time to explain! Just come outside and help me get the monster there into Terrorblade's room!" Sven, being the faithful friend he was, complied. He glanced at Rylai. "I guess you can help too, if you don't go around alerting everyone." The trio scurried outside and over to Balanar, forming a protective barrier around him. Balanar crouched down and they got moving.

Yurnero the head of the mini shield. They were making good progress and had got past the biggest obstacle: Shendelzare. Yurnero let out a sigh of relief; maybe the task Mirana had left him wasn't so hard after all. Soon, he was eating his words. Yurnero crashed into Luna and he fell to the ground, revealing Balanar. Busted. He braced himself for the sound of Luna calling for Shendelzare, but it didn't come.

"Hey, he's kinda cute," smiled Luna, looking Balanar in the eye. Yurnero had a feeling that cute was the last word Balanar wanted to be described as. Blue beasts that went cray-cray at night didn't exactly qualify into Yurnero's book of things that were cute. "Where'd you get him from?" Yurnero's tensed muscles eased and he regained his balance. Without answering Luna's question, he and his friends shuffled along. Yurnero's eyes scanned Aiushtha's drawings on the doors. He guessed that the door with the stick figure and the two off-centre triangle horns was the one that they were after.

Balanar disappeared into Terrorblade's room and Yurnero relaxed. Spectre was out of his concern for another day. "Come on, Yuri," urged Rylai. "Shendelzare made us some donuts. Better snag some before they're all gone. I saw Pudge eat, like, a dozen of them." Donuts sounded like a great idea to Yurnero. He just felt like doing something an ordinary teenager would do and the morning had been completely out of the norm. "Let's go!"

Spectre's POV:

"So now that we are united as the Illusory Gang, I'm sure that we agree our next goal is to obtain the seed of an Ultimate Orb flower," stated Spectre with a smirk crossing her face. Terrorblade was bamboozled, even though Spectre had previously just explained the whole plan. Balanar sat obediently beside his master, who's smirk had been replaced by a scowl. Terrorblade got up to leave the meeting. "Fine, just quit, ignorant fool," snarled Spectre. "Come back when you're bent down on world domination."

"Anyways, how are we going to get the seed? I know only one person who's in possession of them," questioned Balanar. Spectre stroked her chin in thought. "We could blackmail him, but then he'd go to Krob. And then we'd be caught," At the mention of 'Krob', Spectre's blue eyes flashed with fire. "So what do we do, Mercurie?" Spectre continued to think. There was still nothing that came to her mind. "Have you got a clue yet?"

"No, not yet!" snapped Spectre. "And don't mention Miss Krobelus again! Or that rat, Shendelzare! I still remember the day that she tricked me with that hole. I knew she was always Miss Krobelus's favorite. Such great care the headmistress took of me," she huffed. "Well, at least she managed to get me a great birthday present." Spectre smiled, stroking Balanar as she spoke. He let out a mew of pleasure.

Balanar checked his watch and sighed. "I've got to go soon, Mercurie. I broke a window here the other day and now I've gotta pay for it. The deer usually come out at this time and Riki always pays me good for one of them." Spectre nodded and kept searching her head for plans, keeping Balanar's black market problem at bay. Gullible, she may have been, but that didn't mean she was dumb.

"Yes, I do have an idea now," said Spectre slyly. "Pure ingenious. I know a good prophet, actually. He was a friend," Spectre clicked her slender fingers and the prophet manifested in front of her. "Long time no see. Do you have your 'fortune ball' with you today?" The prophet nodded and his fortune ball formed between his gloved hands. Spectre thanked her friend and peered at the ball. The surface reflected images of Veiled Sisters, farmers and slips of paper. It all fitted into Spectre's head like a jigsaw.

"Don't you see Balanar? It's all there, in that ball!" exclaimed Spectre. "All we've got to do is give her the contract. And surely once he finds out, he's going to volunteer to complete it for her. Then once he's out of the way, we can get the seed for the Ultimate Orb flower and finish the blueprint. Sounds good?" Balanar cocked his head from side to side, taking in the information. "So what do you think?"

"Yeah, I think it might work out good," said Balanar, nervously checking his watch again and wondering how many deer would've left the hunting region back in the woods. "But what about Terrorblade? Wouldn't he be able to handle the blueprint better than us? I don't think he's keen on joining our gang right now. What about him, Mercurie?"

"That will not be worried about. In fact, my friend here, used to be the counsellor of Terrorblade's school. He knows Terrorblade like the back of his hand. Don't you?" said Spectre confidently, nudging the prophet, who nodded. This time, the fortune ball displayed images of Aegises, brothers and thefts in the night.


	11. The Veiled Oracle

Mortred's mind was spinning in circles. It was only the start of the day when the parcel and the letter had arrived. Now she clutched a slender blade in one hand and the letter in the other. Only it wasn't really a letter. It was a contract. Precisely, it was a contract for killing a person named Eredar. Never, not ever, would Mortred have dreamed of doing such a thing. Overwhelmed with dizziness, she decided to go downstairs and see Miss Krobelus about her dilemma.

"Hmmm. I presume that this is the visitor who dropped by on the day of the vaccinations, am I right or not?" said Miss Krobelus sagely. Mortred nodded a yes. "My advice to you is to ignore the contract. If the Veiled Sister comes back here, we'll drive her off. Sounds good? Go and have breakfast, Mortred. Abbadon brought us food today." Mortred thanked Miss Krobelus for her advice and headed off to brush her teeth.

Mortred sat down at the breakfast table, between Abbadon and Lanaya. She good-naturedly bid the two of them good morning and began digging in. It was nice knowing she had friends around her. Friends who could chase off her Veiled Sister if necessary. Mortred hastily finished up with her nutritious breakfast so she could go outside and ride her skateboard on the ramp she'd pieced together the other day. She was itching to give it a test.

The stone ramp was positioned at the rim of the arena. Mortred knew it was risky, but then again, she'd been skateboarding for several years. Taking a deep breath, she placed the skateboard on the border of the arena's circular barrier and pulled herself up. Mortred kicked off the top of the arena's rim and quickly put her sneaker on the skateboard for better control. The rim was thin and rough, but nothing that Mortred couldn't handle. The ramp drew nearer as Mortred cut around the circle.

The wheels took a turn for the ramp and there was a slight sensation of falling. Mortred and the skateboard slid down the ramp, which sloped downwards and then curved upwards. The speed that the skateboard had picked up sent its cheering rider slicing through the air. "Yeah!" exclaimed Mortred, arms stretched towards the sky. The skateboard landed firmly on the ground and Mortred braked it to a stop. She had many more attempts at her ramp stunt after the test drive before heading inside for a glass of water.

"Everyone's finished breakfast now." observed Mortred quietly. She reached the filter tap and found a cup with her name scrawled across it. Mortred filled the cup with liquid and put it to her lips, emptying the cup into her mouth. She set it down on the table. And that was when the knife was there, nipping at her neck. Mortred didn't turn around in fear that her assailant would behead her. There were no colleagues around to help her, because they'd all finished up and went off to do their own priorities.

"You didn't accept the contract," hissed the Veiled Sister, breathing in Mortred's ear. The Veiled Sister's grip on the knife's handle tightened. Mortred refused to give in, but didn't want to resort to violence either. Unfortunately for her, she was really just going to have to punch her sister at one point or another in order to survive. Gritting her teeth, Mortred slammed her fist down on the Veiled Sister's arm, causing her to release the knife.

Mortred kicked away the weapon with her sneaker and attempted to pin the Veiled Sister on the ground, but not before her opponent got an extra kick in. The Veiled Sister knocked Mortred to the floor with her heavy boot, nearly kicking her unconscious. "Miss Krobelus! Abbadon! Anyone! Help!" shouted Mortred in her weakened state. Someone yelled her name back at her and the thumping of someone coming downstairs followed. "Help, please!" she repeated, trying not to show any signs of weakness.

Miss Krobelus and Abbadon arrived on the scene, much to Mortred's relief. But where was everyone else? Feeling fretful, she tried to pull herself up, but the agony was too much. Hadn't the plan been to have everyone drive her Veiled Sister off? But it was only those two. It was an effort to see what was going on. Miss Krobelus was swiftly gliding to the Veiled Sister with the contract. Abbadon marched over and pointed to a picture on the paper and then to himself.

"Nooooo!" choked out Mortred in desperation. Somehow, she still wasn't crying, despite the sequence of traumatizing events. "You can't go! You can't go! I'll do it myself! Abbadon, stop! Please stay-" The Veiled Sister grinned wickedly and released Mortred from her grasp. She gripped Abbadon by the wrist and harshly dragged him off. "Please let him go! No-" Miss Krobelus hovered over get and injected a sedative into Mortred's right arm. Tears began to pool in her eyes as she fought off the tranquilizer.

What had he done? Why would he want to give himself a death wish? Why would he volunteer to kill someone for her? Mortred wanted to strangle herself for being so incompetent, but remembered she couldn't waste his sacrifice. She tried to calm herself down. There was still a possibility of him coming back alive, but pessimistically pushed the idea away. Mortred recalled a Runaway named Lucifer telling true stories of Eredar. She hadn't taken him very seriously, because everyone was teasing him and calling him Lucy instead. Now she wished she had.

The sedative was taking over Mortred. It was too much effort to fight it off. Before she passed out, the potentially fatal moment replayed in her head. Watching Abbadon volunteer to kill Eredar instead made Mortred feel as if her heart was a dissolving brick of salt. Miss Krobelus had left her side, leaving Mortred mutely lying on the floor that was splattered with her own blood. The drug took control and Mortred dozed off.

Abbadon's POV:

Mortred's Veiled Sister drags me to the front of Krobelus's home and gives me a map to Eredar's whereabouts. My hands are slightly myoclonic, but I force myself to stand strong because I made this decision without any influences. After all, Mortred hasn't even turned eighteen years of age yet. I don't have much of a future, just farming crops. The Veiled Sister attaches a tracker to my right wrist. It's the shape and size of a watch, but instead of displaying the time, it displays the screen of a GPS. She says that it will show her where I am so she can tell if I'm cheating the contract.

Another device goes on my other wrist. "This is Eredar's tracker. It'll show you where he is off to." That's all she says, not good luck or anything, before fading away like a phantom. I compare Eredar's tracker with my tracker. I'm a great distance off from him. It's sort of creepy how the dot that marks his position keeps moving around, but I stay on track. He's in a cave in a forest called the 'Seven Hells' whereas I'm at 87 Avernus Drive. Before I start hunting, I decide to swing by my house to prepare some food and water for the journey.

I cut free whatever's ripe in the garden and stash it in a black backpack along with a couple of gourds of water. I mount my steed outside and check Eredar's tracker again. He's stopped moving around, which is a good thing. Maybe he fell asleep. All the better. I swipe my fingers across the screens of the trackers to get a more useful view of the area between Eredar and me. It looks like I'll be traveling through the Nightsilver Woods and then catching Darkterror's train to the Seven Hells.

My horse rears back and speeds in the direction towards the Nightsilver Woods. We've made many trips there before, so it's not much of a challenge. I effortlessly ride my mount through the trees, which grow taller at night. In a couple of minutes, we're out of the woods. I'm grateful that the journey to the station is on horseback, because walking there is exhausting. I allow a period for rest and food for my steed before heading to the station.

When we get there, I retrieve my backpack and tell my mount to go back to Krobelus's place, which it knows the way to. I don't want it to risk it's life along with mine. The train pulls up at the station fairly soon and I board it to the Seven Hells. Black blurs whiz by the window, only causing me to feel more terrified. The picture of Eredar on the contract was horrifying enough already. Now there's only one more station to go. The rusty train hits a couple of bumps in the tracks and screeches to a stop.

I disembark the train and thank Darkterror for his help before eyeing Eredar's tracker. He's not subdued anymore, but he isn't running around like a lunatic either. I'm not familiar with the Seven Hells, unlike the Nightsilver Woods. It could take ages to give my way to Eredar's cave, even with the trackers. I draw a sword from my belt, just as a safety precaution. After trekking aimlessly through the Seven Hells, I decide that I should get some sleep. I belt myself up in a tree for the evening after a meagre dinner.

It must be seven o'clock when I doze off. About four hours later, there's a violent thudding sound. I've always been a light sleeper, so I wake up straight away. Flustered, my eyes flit to the tracker on my left wrist. Eredar's up and about now. Now I'm really alert, because he's moving out of his cave. Sweat would be trickling down my face if I had skin, for two reasons. One, I'm scared to death. And two, it seems to be getting really hot in here. In horror, I realize that Eredar is right under my tree.

The picture of Eredar was nothing like the real one. A malevolent flame the color of beetroot engulfs his skull shaped face, which has no neck to attach to. His white eyes are missing pupils and his body is formed of coursing energy the same color as his flame. Rusted chains dangle on each of his shoulders and a dirty rag covers his genital regions. A tail like that of a dinosaur protrudes from behind and bones form a collar around his head. I freeze and cover my luminescent eyes with one of my hands, to prevent being caught.

Eredar's fire had come into contact with one of the shriveling branches. Instead of hearing a slight crackling noise, an almighty roar pierces my ears. The fire swallows up the tree so rapidly that I don't have time to jump out before it reaches me. The foul flames mercilessly burn up my backpack before lashing out at me. Not only does the flame burn, but it also stings like venom. Instinctively, a howl of agony emanates from my mouth before I can calm myself down. The roaring my ears and the next thing I know, I'm plummeting to the ground.

The trail of fire left behind makes me look like a very off-course comet. With a crunch, I land on the hard earth. The fire dissipates and scorches the ground. If Eredar hadn't taken notice of the 'Abbadon Comet', he definitely took notice of the hard crunch. He wheels around and looks me in the eye morbidly. I'm wounded, but I still have my sword. Maybe if I hadn't drawn it so early, Eredar wouldn't have assumed that I was trying to kill him.

My thought process is interrupted when Eredar bellows and slams his fists down on the ground. Waves of poison cruise towards me. All five of them crash into my broken body. They sting with intensity, but I muster the energy to stand up and slash at him with my sword. My swing is not strong enough to do any harm though. For now, I think the only thing I can do is to escape and try again later. I run as fast as I can (which isn't very fast at the moment) and push the torment from the poison down.

"Izh vo'acha ses," snarls Eredar, raising his clawed hands for another attack. "Izh sol acha ozh!" A malicious looking pit opens up under me and the souls of dead people arise from it. I wonder if I'm going to end up like them. With a lucky step, I miss the soul catcher. More soul catchers open up all around me and I have zero chance of not falling into one. The run is winding me, but thankfully the poison is ceasing its pain. Eredar is furious that I haven't died yet.

To my advantage, Eredar isn't very fast. The only way he'll be able to catch up to me is if I fall into a pit or get poisoned again. But Eredar has another trick up his sleeve. There's a monstrous roar and I feel a pain unlike anything I've ever felt before. Eredar has done something that makes me feel like someone's trying to turn me inside out. My whole soul is being purged of life. "Arghhh!" The air is filled with my yells and the floor is stained with my blood. Eredar is gaining on me.

When I think things can't get any worse, one of Eredar's rifts open up under me and I plummet down it. The soul catcher seems to amplify the torment that I'm in, which only makes my shouts louder. More blood sprays out of my torso. Eredar's demonic face appears at the top of the soul catcher. He jumps down the pit until he hits the bottom, triggering what feels like an earthquake. I have next to no strength now, thanks to whatever stupid thing Eredar cast on me.

"Please stop. It hurts," I whimper plaintively. I can't say anything more than that without feeling like someone broke my jaw. A cruel smirk appears on Eredar's face. Obviously he has no intent of letting me go, unscathed. The probability of me killing Eredar first is equivalent to the probability of the sun melting. So why is he delaying this? Perhaps he enjoys seeing me lying on the ground whilst my energy is sapped out from me. The ground is filled with tremors again as Eredar props both his heavy elbows on my chest.

I can't escape or unseat him. If I had half a ghost of a chance surviving before, I now have no hope of making out alive. Now he's on top of me, with his legs bent and crushing my smaller frame. I release a series of small moans because I don't have enough energy to scream. My time is at an end. I will never see Krobelus and her Runaways again. I will never work on the farm again. I will never get to leave the Seven Hells. I'm as good as dead. Dead. Eredar continues to crush my skeleton.

Something strange happens. Eredar finally gets off me. But I don't judge too quickly. Maybe he thinks he's inflicted enough pain and now I'm going to be able to go. He mutters a secret incantation and tosses his arms into the air. What's happening? An orb of dark magic floats towards the ground and engulfs me in its surfaces. "You'll be dead within seconds," snarls Eredar, speaking English for the first time. "Enjoy your hopeless last moments of life before I transport you to the underworld."

"I'm sorry, Mortred," I whisper faintly, even though nobody can hear me. The contract will be denied and Eredar will be left alone. Hopefully she'll find out what happened to me. I don't try to fight it as the orb begins to rise in the air, gradually carrying me away from the mortal world. I choke on a single tear in my throat. My heart feels dead enough already, for letting Mortred down. I let everybody down. "I'm sorry, Mortred. I'm so sorry." The orb flies upwards to the heavens, taking me with it.

Mortred's POV:

It was breakfast time and everyone around her was chatting about the last things that she was worried about. Miss Krobelus hadn't told anyone else about the ordeal with the Veiled Sister and the whole thing was kept secret. Mortred had told Strygwyr and felt that he could be trusted. He'd been good to his word so far and hadn't dropped any hints. Shendelzare set a glass of water in front of Mortred, causing her to feel even more hopeless. The glass just reminded her of how Abbadon had been sent away.

*Ding dong* Mortred almost fell out of her chair with excitement. She reached the door before Miss Krobelus and unlatched it. To her disappointment, it wasn't Abbadon who stood before her. "Jin'zakk," she said, emotionlessly. Jin'zakk solemnly handed Mortred a single letter and left. Perhaps the letter was from Abbadon and he was writing to reassure her that he was alright. She was unsure whether to read it or not. "Do it." Mortred commanded herself. With shaking fingers, she tore the envelope flap off and slipped the letter out.

"Dear Mortred and Krobelus and everyone else," she started reading. "The contract has been denied. Eredar remains alive. Abbadon is dead. I will not ask you to kill Eredar anymore," Mortred's mind was processing everything very slowly. She winced at the way the writer had written the phrase 'Abbadon is dead' in italics. "Signed, your Veiled Sister." Tears trickled down Mortred's face as she imagined an insane demon tearing Abbadon to shreds. All because of her. It felt like she was the one dead, not him.

Spectre's POV:

"Ha!" shouted Spectre triumphantly, pointing to a screen that was displaying everything. "What did I tell you, Balanar? What did I tell you, when you were moping over the fact that you broke one little window?" The duo crept out of their hiding spot and over to Abbadon's deserted home. The door had already fallen off its hinges, so they had no trouble getting through. In one room, Spectre found a ton of seed packets. One packet had a picture of a spherical orange and black plant.

A wicked grin played on Spectre's thin lips. She seized the seed packet and beckoned for Balanar to leave. The partly formed Illusory Gang crashed back through the front door and back to their temporary hideaway. When they were back, Balanar picked up the recipe and a thin green sword. Spectre tipped out a single Ultimate Orb seed. The two of them combined the objects, which melded together and began to change shape in a haze of blue light. When the rays had cleared, a strange looking axe took the place of the original components.

"Manta Style," Balanar mumbled in awe. "But what about the boy? And the window?" Spectre rolled her eyes, having had enough of listening to his window problem. She thrust some fifty dollar notes on the table to stop his whining. "Thanks, Mercurie, you're one in a million," he smiled. Spectre smiled back wanly and held up the Manta Style for a test. Two more copies of Spectre appeared beside him. "Sorry, I meant three in a million. So what do we do next?"

"That's what we do next," said Spectre, fiddling with a remote. The screen changed to an image of Primal Split. "But first, go pay off for the window. I'm sick of listening to your moaning and groaning." Balanar looked eager to finally get his financial troubles of his back. He headed out of the secret room and towards Miss Krobelus's home, where Mortred was still grieving.


	12. Anniversary

A private funeral was held for Abbadon's death. Yurnero had no proper knowledge of how he'd died, but was still miserable about the whole ordeal. He'd quite come to like Abbadon and hadn't even got to know him for a year. Rumors held it that Abbadon had died after a Lesale Deathbringer had contaminated his source of water, but Yurnero didn't believe them. Rylai tried her hardest to cheer everyone up, but to Yurnero, it felt wrong to be happy after such a thing happened.

"Wonder what's got into Mortred," whispered Sven to Yurnero. Their fellow Runaway had been extraordinarily depressed, compared to everyone else after Abbadon's death. Her compassionate personality had completely vanished, replaced by an icy and irritable nature. Coincidentally, the person that Sven was talking about happened to be right around the corner. And she didn't seem to be particularly happy about what she'd heard either.

"Well it's none of your business," seethed Mortred, giving Sven a look that could give someone frostbite. "So don't ask because you don't need to know." She turned on her heel to go upstairs. They didn't see Mortred until lunch. Even then, everyone tried to keep away from her. Miss Krobelus, knowing the cause of her sudden bitter attitude, permitted her to sit solitarily. By the Dota 2 Phase, she wasn't any better. Yurnero clicked on the 'random' button. He was rewarded with two-hundred extra starting gold and the smug figure of Carl.

"Dude, 're-random'," groaned Lina, who was on the same team as he was. "Don't pick Carl if you are a-" She was cut off as Purist corrected her on her language. "Gee, thanks Purist. A person who's not an advanced player," she huffed. Yurnero clicked the button for another random and crossed his fingers for an improvement. "Oh hey, you got me," she grinned. Yurnero looked at his team composition. Lina was playing Rylai, Sven was playing Slark, Rylai was playing Sven and Purist had picked himself.

Yurnero had never played as Lina before. The others on his team assigned him to the middle lane, which he had had some experience with. He finally settled on Nulls Talisman and a set of Tangos, and waited in the lane for the game to start. "Carl," he sighed, as the computer version of his enemy strutted around on the middle lane of the Radiant. Somehow, he'd managed to end up on the other side. Yurnero's Lina conjured a fireball and sent it flying at Carl.

"Get a load of this!" boasted Carl, switching the color of his rotating orbs to yellow. Yurnero had no idea what it meant and focused on getting last-hits. "Exort Exort Exort!" he chanted. There was a distant whizzing sound coming from Yurnero's computer. Bang! Yurnero was hit by something Carl called a 'Sunstrike'. Reluctantly, he selected a tree with his cursor and consumed it. Lina seemed frustrated that he didn't know what a Sunstrike was. But then again, she was frustrated at about everything. Yurnero purchased 'Boots of Speed'.

Meanwhile, Lina and her sister were close to drawing 'first blood'. "Rylie, stun!" commanded the redhead. Her sister obliged and the computerized Sven released a yellow bolt of energy that kept the opposing Dragonus in place. The bar above his head indicated that he was almost dead. "One more hit to go!" Lina's Rylai sent an icy projectile at Shendelzare's Dragonus. The crystalline missile was about the deliver the killing blow. It zoomed towards Shendelzare's character, and then-

There was no first blood announcement. Instead the game vanished from the screen, replaced with white lettering across a black screen. Lina swore and Yurnero began to read the words. "Important announcement: tomorrow during the Dota 2 Phase a different game mode will be used for the purposes of the home's anniversary. You will now be redirected to your game. Sorry for any inconveniences." With that, the game resumed and Shendelzare's character collapsed and died.

"Sweet! First blood!" cheered Lina as Shendelzare buried her face in her hands. Yurnero smiled and continued playing. "Do you need a mid gank, Yurnero?" she offered, before hastily adding, "As in do you want me to come help and kill Carl?" Yurnero accepted, but Carl was too close to the tower for a gank. After his first false starts at Dota 2, Yurnero knew not to stray too close to the building early on. Lina sensed it as well and went back to the top lane. "Maybe next time."

Even though Yurnero's team had started out with the advantage, they ended up losing after fifty-two minutes. There wasn't much time remaining until Miss Krobelus sent everyone to bed. Which hero are you best at, Yurnero? I'm pretty decent with 'Tiny'," said Sven, nudging his shoulder. "You know? The stone giant guy. Kind of ironic." Yurnero cocked his head to one side, filtering out answers to his best friend's question. Sven patiently waited for him to respond. Yurnero guessed that being in Miss Krobelus's home had drilled some discipline into him.

"I'm okay with any fairly easy agility heroes who are carries, I guess. Oh, except for that boring Kardel Sniper guy," replied Yurnero, shrugging. "Although Lina is pretty fun, too," he added. Yurnero loved Sven and his easy-going nature. He couldn't imagine life without him. Sven nodded as Rylai approached their chairs. "Hey Rylai, which hero do you think is best?" Rylai beamed her contagious smile and didn't hesitate to answer.

"Well, not Nortrom the silencer. He's too, uh, silent. Such a meaniepegs. What a big nose he has. And don't get me started on Mr Dazzle. The computer model of him is too nasty looking. What big teeth he has," remarked Rylai. The two boys waited for her to complete her Little Red Riding Hood charade, before she gave them a proper response. "And not that awful Rotund'jiggy Necrophos guy! Have you seen his nostrils? What big nostrils he has. Like a pig. So, I guess I'll settle for the Kaldir Ancient Apparition guy."

"Did you hear that, Kaldir?" jeered Sun Wukong from the other side of the room. Beside him was a flustered looking boy with ghostly pale skin that seemed almost shiny and reflective. His greyish hair stuck out at odd angles like a snowflake. The boy's blue eyes matched Rylai's, only they had strange white flecks in them. "Listen ghost, if you're ever gonna ask the Crystal Maiden out on that date, you'd better start working on those ice puns."

"Oh please," huffed Rylai, to the relief of a reddening Kaldir. "Don't be too cocky, Wukong. Your voice goes full retard every time you try and ask my sister out," she taunted. Sun Wukong's bravado vanished and Yurnero grinned at the way Rylai could stand up for herself and others. But she wasn't finished yet. "If I had a cookie for each time Lina rejected you, I'd have enough to make the Cookie Monster throw up." Sun Wukong flushed deep red and muttered something about living with too many badass females.

"What in the Desert of Misrule are you looking at, Wukong?" snapped Lina sharply with heightened amounts of suspicion, eyes literally burning with white fire. His mischievous eyes quickly flitted away from Lina's chest, but it was too late. Lina indignantly stepped forward and slapped Sun Wukong in the face twice, stunning him. Miss Krobelus came over to see what the commotion was about. Purist, at if on cue, explained the whole thing.

Miss Krobelus didn't have the poor taste for punishing her students, especially not when the anniversary of the home was the next day. Everyone was sent to bed after Miss Krobelus took an aspirin. Lyralei had told Yurnero that there was a different event and theme for each anniversary celebration. According to her, the theme of the previous year had been 'Dark Souls', which was a video game that Yurnero had never heard of. The Runaways were given a game mode where they had to light all the bonfires and defeat their own 'Mimic', which was a monstrous treasure chest with legs and teeth.

Yurnero woke up to the warm sunshine pouring through the window. And then he remembered about the anniversary. It would probably explain the ivy that draped around the walls in his room. The ivy hadn't been there before. Taped to the wardrobe was a note. Yurnero yawned and groggily walked over to the note like a zombie and ripped it off. Maze Runner. Yurnero had never heard of it. Some theme. Lyralei would probably know. He opened the wardrobe to get changed, but his clothes were replaced by blue shirts, khaki pants and brown belts.

"Oh, the Maze Runner is a series of books. The plot is sorta complicated, but the first book's mainly about this guy called Thomas who lands in this place called the Glade without his memory," explained Lyralei, who never seemed to get tired of answering Yurnero's inquiries. "I guess that's this year's theme. Wanna go down for some brekkie?" Yurnero linked arms with her and escorted Lyralei down the stairs. The banisters were also lined with ivy.

Only a few Runaways were waiting downstairs, at the breakfast table. A strange cube had been set up in the centre of the table, which Yurnero reckoned was part of the theme. The others at the table were Carl, Dragonus, Shendelzare and Atropos, who was asleep in his chair, drool trickling down the side of his face. "When do we get to eat breakfast, Miss?" asked Lyralei. Miss Krobelus, who was dressed in a white coat with the word 'WICKED' printed across smiled kindly at the young archer.

"Soon," she replied. "Maybe in another ten minutes. We'll wait for some of the others to get up." Later, when all the Runaways were seated at the table, Miss Krobelus unfolded the cube. Inside of it were assorted meats of slaughtered animals and small eggs, waiting to be fried. Yurnero had been trained to wait for things in a quiet manner, so he didn't fuss or complain. Soon, a prepared plate of fried egg was on the table before him.

Lyralei wanted to see how Miss Krobelus had decorated the backyard, so Yurnero followed her there. All the green hedges had been replaced by stone walls with more ivy draped around. Strange mechanical lizards scuttled on their rough surfaces and attached to the edges of the scaled down walls. Sensing Yurnero's curiosity, Lyralei added, " The lizards things are called Beetle Blades. They have little cameras on them to monitor you." Yurnero loved the way Lyralei never showed any signs of annoyance at his endless stream of questions. Now she'd even made a habit of automatically answering them.

It wasn't until the Dota 2 Phase when the real fun began. When everyone began heading to the computer room, they were surprised to find that the doors were locked. "I thought that it said that there was a new game mode," shrugged Sven. Yurnero was equally perplexed. Miss Krobelus came and guided the line of heroes outside. "This is guaranteed 100% safe," reassured Miss Krobelus. She began distributing weapons to everyone. "If you do run into trouble, shout for help and I'll come and get you and your partner."

"Partners?" offered Yurnero to Lyralei. She nodded. Sven was closer to Rylai than Yurnero was, anyway. Miss Krobelus dropped a katana in Yurnero's hands. It was the same orange one that sang to him. Lyralei was given a green bow with a matching quiver. She slung the sheath over her and the two of them awaited further instructions. Miss Krobelus cut away the ribbon that held the barriers together. The barriers fell apart to reveal an enormous, jaw dropping maze.

"The objective is for you and your partner to reach the exit before everyone else. Don't attempt to attack anyone else with your weapons. Good luck, have fun. You can start when I finish the countdown. Take your places at your entrance," instructed Miss Krobelus. Yurnero and Lyralei stood at an opening on the far left. When everyone was ready, Miss Krobelus began counting down from five. "Five, four, three, two, one, go!"

Lyralei was off like a shot. Yurnero was having a difficult time keeping up with her, so she grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him along too. They stopped at a fork in the maze. "Which way?" Lyralei whirled around to face Yurnero. Yurnero nodded to the path leading to the right. Suddenly, an inhuman roar echoed through the maze. Lyralei positioned an arrow on her bowstring as a precaution. "I thought Miss said this was 100% safe!" yelled Lyralei above the roaring. Yurnero told Lyralei to keep on going.

As Yurnero and Lyralei turned around the bend, they came face to face with the thing that was roaring. It had moist, slimy blubber and mechanical blades stuck out of its glutinous ant-like body. "It's a Griever!" spat Lyralei. She directed the point of the arrow towards the Griever's head at the speed of light and released the bowstring. The Griever shrieked in pain and raised its stinger. Yurnero hacked away at the monster's side until it died. "100% safe, huh?"

They got back on track until they heard a scream. There was a scuffling sound of boots and then a stream of green sparks flew upwards from somewhere else in the maze. Up above, Miss Krobelus flew a gyrocopter and picked up the person who'd screamed and his or her partner. Yurnero could just see Mirana and a dismayed Terrorblade being lifted up into the air. "I guess if the Grievers use their stingers on you, you get disqualified," sighed Yurnero. "They must be scattered everywhere."

Yurnero kept running with Lyralei until he slammed into someone. "Hey, watch it!" growled Carl, who was accompanied by Mogul Khan. Yurnero shielded his face from a mysterious projectile Carl launched at him. Next thing he knew, Carl and Mogul Khan were in the air, being escorted away by the gyrocopter for hurting another Runaway. They continued on their way. Four down, who knew how many to go. Yurnero summoned a healing ward to cure the burn on his neck from Carl.

The only other two Runaways who'd managed to defeat a Griever were Shendelzare and Dragonus. Shendelzare kicked the dead creature's carcass with the toe of her boot to check if it was dead, which it was. "Come on, Dragonus!" she called out. Dragonus quickly finished cleaning the blood of his scepter and hurried to follow her. Usually Dragonus could outfly her, but with his wings clipped, he was much slower than usual. He hobbled along, trying to keep up.

After many streams of green sparks, dead ends and disqualified Runaways, the two pairs who'd killed the Grievers were the only ones left. Yurnero sighed as he and Lyralei reached another dead end. His partner led him away, backtracking their steps. "Hey Lyralei, isn't that the finishing line?" Yurnero asked, peering into the gloom. Lyralei shrugged, but headed towards the dark anyway. Yurnero had no option but to trail behind her. "Isn't that Dragonus with Shendelzare…?"

Shendelzare was in hot water. She was trying to keep the Griever from releasing its display of sparks, but her powers were exhausted. Dragonus's scepter was refreshing its energy, rendering he and her close to elimination. "Crap, Dragonus, is your thingy almost done recharging yet?!" hissed Shendelzare, trying to distract the Griever. She cast a sideways glance at him. "Dragonus? What the heck are you doing?" Dragonus raised his staff, which was crackling with blue electricity.

"Mystic Flare!" exclaimed Dragonus, releasing all the energy into the ground. A small blue chromosphere blossomed from the ground. Blinding beams rained down from the night sky and crashed on top of the poor Griever. "You can stop running now, Shendel!" yelled Dragonus. "STOP RUNNING!" She halted a stop, surprised that Dragonus could be more dominant than her at times. As Shendelzare bent down, gasping for breath, Dragonus leaned forward to peck her on the cheek-

"Nuh-uh," warned Shendelzare, stopping him. "We still have a competition to play," she reminded him. Dragonus drew back sadly and nodded. Shendelzare whirled around, startled by the sound of footprints. "Shite." She muttered, pulling Dragonus closer to the exit. "Yurnero and Lyralei are coming. Hurry, Dragonus!" Shendelzare, getting rather frustrated, heaved him onto her shoulders and gradually carried him towards the end.

Yurnero and Lyralei were catching up. Shendelzare gritted her teeth, urging herself to win the competition for her and her friend. "Crap, another Griever," she thought, seeing the obscenity come into full view. It was blocking her way out. It just gave her an idea. "Dragonus, hold on tight," she instructed, focusing on what she was going to do next. And then the wind was whistling behind Shendelzare and Dragonus. When she opened her eyes, she realized that they were over the finish line, with the Griever neatly in their previous place. "We won, Dragonus!"

Yurnero and Lyralei remained unfazed, despite their loss. They exited the maze and were greeted by Sven and Rylai. "Nice job, Yurnero!" congratulated Sven, clapping Yurnero on the back. Yurnero shrugged humbly and gave most of the verbal credit coming his way to Lyralei. She smiled, revealing her two rows of television-ad white teeth, before heading over to Traxex. Miss Krobelus grinned, seeing all her disciples in a happy bundle together.

Spectre's POV:

Spectre pushed through the door of Primal Split, with Balanar close behind her. Mangix's overweight frame greeted them. "Welcome!" he hollered, hustling them in. His eyebrows knitted as he looked at his sloppily written timetable. "Where is it?!" Mangix bellowed as he pawed through his stack of papers. Spectre narrowed her eyes irritably. Balanar sighed impatiently. "Where is it?! I'm sure I had it!" Spectre, who couldn't take it anymore, suddenly grabbed Mangix by the greasy wrist.

"Listen, Mangix," she snarled in disgust. "We didn't even phone you. We just rocked up to talk to someone. So shut it and sober up." Rolling her eyes, she led Balanar to the table where the person they were looking for was sitting down. "Having a fine night, mister?" The young lad turned his head up from his drink. He looked about fourteen or so. Balanar stepped in to protest that the boy was underage for drinking alcohol, but Spectre shushed him.

"Huh?" mumbled the boy, his speech slurred from the substance in the keg. "What did you say?" Spectre hated talking to alcoholics. The stench of drink on their breath, their slurred voices and the way she had to say everything thrice were all factors that contributed to why she hated it. "So are you going to talk to me?" After grinding her teeth and composing herself, she continued.


	13. Hello, brother

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello readers! If you read the description for this story, I mentioned that a new Runaway comes in. In this chapter, you'll get to find out who it is (if you haven't really figured it out yet). Also I'm going on break for another two weeks, so you won't be hearing from me soon.**

* * *

"I have received word from Darkterror that a new Runaway is arriving here in a couple of minutes," Miss Krobelus's voice drifted from the Intercoms. "Aiushtha, I'll need you downstairs to greet whoever's coming. And Yurnero, come speak to me." Aiushtha, who'd seemed to have gotten over Terrorblade's relationship with Mirana, smiled and skipped over to the door. She'd been distancing herself from him ever since the shoot-off with Mirana and Traxex. Their friendship was over and now Aiushtha was glad for it.

"He wasn't very fun, anyways," she thought to herself, every time a memory of Terrorblade wedged itself in her mind. She was a glass half full person once more. Meanwhile, Yurnero wondered what on earth Miss Krobelus wanted from him. He never viewed himself as an important Runaway. He clambered downstairs and crossed into the lounging area. Miss Krobelus was there, waiting for him with a grim expression on her face.

"Hello, Yurnero," she greeted, the somber face wiped away. Yurnero said hello back, knowing it was only polite to do so. Then her face darkened once more. "I don't think I ever got round to telling you this, but I used to be a 'Death Prophet'," she said privately as if revealing the secret to an immortal life without an Aegis. "I foretold the date that a person was going to die. I'm a bit rusty with that sort of stuff now, but I have a vague idea that someone close to you will die on a Saturday, a couple of months from now."

Yurnero felt a chill run up and down his spine. Someone close to him, dead within a few months. "Thanks for telling me, headmistress," he simply muttered, before disappearing into his room. Was Miss Krobelus even a Death Prophet? Yurnero doubted it. The whole thing could very well just be a fake. It didn't take long for him to forget his and the headmistress's short and dismal conversation. Soon he was mucking around with everyone else, including Mortred who'd recovered from her split personality.

Ring! Miss Krobelus zipped over to the door to greet the newcomer. Outside the door stood a slack and rebellious looking boy with a brown mohawk. He wore a currently unzipped purple vest that displayed his scrawny tattooed arms. His ripped black jeans, Miss Krobelus observed, were so torn up that there was more hole than cloth. The boy had a slight slouch and to Miss Krobelus's dismay, had obscenities written all over his sleeveless shirt. She was not very fond of swear words, but smiled winningly anyway.

On cue, Aiushtha bounded up to him for his tour. When she asked him for his name, he said it was Magina. The name rang a bell. "Oh I know you! Terrorblade told me that you were his brother!" she familiarized happily, even though what Terrorblade had told her about him was mostly negative. Magina frowned when Aiushtha mentioned Terrorblade and disrespectfully spat a glob of saliva on the floorboards. Aiushtha ignored him and led Magina over to his new room that seemed to have appeared there magically.

"Oh no," whispered Terrorblade to himself, unbeknownst to Aiushtha and Magina. He looked at the Aegis on the shelf. Mirana had told him what it did and previously, he'd been hoping to save it for emergencies such as fires. But with Magina lurking around and the expiry date looming in, he'd have to use it for something soon. Why was Magina even there He had it very easy back home. Terrorblade himself had left due to the abusive ways of his parents and brother. Magina's reason could be anything ridiculous such as not having the trendiest I-Phone at school. And for all Terrorblade knew, Magina probably skipped school.

"Why do I look so fricking retarded?!" complained Magina, grumbling over the picture of him on his door. Aiushtha smile didn't falter, although she was starting to feel quite intimidated in Magina's presence. Ignoring his insults, Aiushtha gestured to where he could put all his belongings. "Why don't you fold my clothes?" he snapped, throwing the clean garments at her. "My brother always used to do them for me! And when he disappeared, I made Mother do them instead!"

Poor Aiushtha didn't know how to stand up to others and proceeded picking up Magina's clothes and folding them. "Isn't this fun?" she optimized, smoothing out the creases in one of Magina's t-shirts. Only when she looked around the room, he was gone. Aiushtha sighed and continued folding. Magina, meanwhile, had gone downstairs to explore without his guide. The place wasn't as great as the strange purple ghost had told him. But there was a familiar face there waiting for him…

"Mirana," Magina said tightly, biting his lip. What was he supposed to say to his ex? Mirana put her manicured hands on her hips expectantly. For some reason, this gesture angered him. "What do you want me to do about it, huh? You were the one who left me!" he spat. Mirana sighed, creases forming in her forehead, eyes boring into his. Magina knew deep down that he was at blame for the termination of their relationship. After all, he was the one who'd pulled down her skirt in front of everyone at high school.

"Well?" she pouted, fiddling with her necklace that was adorned with a crescent shape. "I've moved on now, Magina." His heart stung as he remembered when she used to call him her hero, the 'Anti-Mage'. It made him feel valued. "I go out with Terrorblade now. At least he doesn't yank down my skirt in front of hundreds of people. Unlike you!" Mirana stormed off, but Magina was thinking about something else. If Mirana was going out with his brother, he had to be around somewhere. Never mind. Now, another guide was coming to show him around.

"Uh, hi, Magina," said the boy. "I'm Yurnero. Miss Krobelus, our headmistress, assigned me to show you the computer room. Uhh, follow my lead," Yurnero travelled down the corridor, expecting Magina to follow him. Instead, the newcomer was busy lighting up a packet of cigarettes. Yurnero's cogs turned. If he stayed near Magina any longer, he was going to suffer the effects of passive smoking. "Hey, Magina, could you put those away, please?" Magina ignored him and took a puff of smoke. Yurnero tried to hold his breath, which wasn't easy.

After a lot of coaxing, Yurnero managed to show Magina the computer room and survive the smoke clouds that blew in his direction. Not wanting to be near him any longer, Yurnero said goodbye and hurried off. Aiushtha had finished tidying up after Magina and was coming down to compete his tour. He groaned and ducked behind a comfy armchair, only to realize someone was already there. "Oi! Get out!" hissed Magina. The platinum blonde boy beside him glared at him, eyes closing into slits.

"I'm Carl, you craplord," snarled the other boy. Carl was already beginning to hate the newcomer more than he hated Yurnero, which was saying something. "And nobody messes with me here!" Flipping his long hair back, he elbowed Magina out of his hiding spot. Magina retaliated by shoving him back. The silent war between the two boys raged on, until Aiushtha noticed the muffled sounds coming from behind the armchair.

"There you are!" she grinned ridiculously, pulling Magina out of his shelter. Carl stuck his tongue out, blowing raspberries at his new enemy. Magina's tour ended just in time for lunch. When Miss Krobelus handed him a serving of Gallo Pinto, he pushed the bowl away. Miss Krobelus hadn't prepared extra food because the Runaways that came in weren't usually too picky. But she didn't want the boy to go on an empty stomach either.

"For goodness sake, just eat it and stop being such a wuss," snapped Shendelzare heatedly. Magina glared at her and didn't respond. ", Eat. It," she repeated in short bursts. It really pushed Magina over the edge. He snatched up his bowl with both hands and smashed it in the floor. Everyone except for him winced at the sound of shattering china. Miss Krobelus's eyes widened and she went to fetch something to clean up the fragments of the bowl.

By the late afternoon, Magina found himself involved in more trouble. After Luna's traditional 'test of worth', one of his teenage mood swings kicked in and he spent about half an hour sulking and scratching the paint off the walls. Just before dinner, he wandered into the kitchen and accidentally knocked over some of the dishes. Terrorblade was doing a great job steering clear of his brother, but deep down he knew that he was going to have to confront Magina later on.

"Hey, watch it, flat gal," Magina shoved Lyralei out of his way, just before the commencement of the Dota 2 Phase. Lyralei shoved him back, her face reddening into the color of her hair with embarrassment and anger. Unfortunately for her, she hadn't been blessed with a chest like Lina's or Miss Akasha's. Yurnero, feeling rather protective of his girlfriend, stepped up to Magina, who was a good head shorter than him.

Leave her alone, you perv," said Yurnero in a quiet, deadly calm. Magina huffed and found an unoccupied seat in the room and got with creating his Steam account. Yurnero felt a strong dislike for Magina. And then he remembered the day of Terrorblade's birthday and the letter. That had been signed off by Magina. Yurnero inhaled sharply and plopped down in his chair. Lyralei deserved better than to be teased like that. He told himself to chill out and have some fun.

Magina started off with playing with the bots. His eyes skimmed the list of available heroes for each attribute. He was up to checking out the agility heroes. Templar Assassin, Terrorblade. Magina froze. It couldn't be true. With his suspicions confirmed, he wheeled around in the swivel-chair and scanned the backs of each head. Terrorblade was sitting on the other side of the room, joking around with the Runaways beside him.

A new Runaway's first experience of a Dota 2 Phase is supposed to be enjoyable, but Magina couldn't ignore the fact that he was reunited with his brother again. Terrorblade had never done anything bad to him, but he was so sulky and annoying! Magina's parents were always too busy yelling at Terrorblade about his crappy grades to pay any thought to him. Magina remembered the day that Terrorblade and his father had been in a heaty argument. It had been a night when Furion had been out drinking at Primal Split.

"Stop!" Their mother had screamed, tears pouring down her face. "Stop!" Furion had been punching and kicking Terrorblade as if he was a sandbag, trying to kill him. In self defence, Terrorblade jabbed at his dad with sharp uppercuts. Magina watched on the sidelines, emotionlessly. "Terrorblade, I'll call the police if you keep doing that!" Foul words burst from Furion's mouth and Terrorblade finally stopped resisting. "Are you okay?" she said, voice strained with concern. Of course she was talking to her husband, not her son.

"How could you even say that, mom?! He was the one trying to kill me!" Terrorblade practically yelled at the top of his lungs. "Magina, say something! Tell her!" Magina remained so indifferent that he could've been mistook as dead. "Argh! I just…hate you all! I wish you were all dead!" Terrorblade stomped up the stairs when Magina didn't come to his aid. Terrorblade's mother giggled and so did Furion as soon as their son had disappeared into his bedroom.

"Crazy teenagers," chortled Furion. "And don't slam the door!" he called to Terrorblade who violently did so anyway. "It's just one of his mood swings." Justified Furion. Magina muttered a few choice words as the technological version of himself sank to the ground in death. He had to admit, it was slightly unfair for Terrorblade to be treated like that. But why should he care? Furion was so kind to him already. Why had he even chosen to leave his home, to come to this dumpster?

After an hour, Magina had achieved a KDA ratio of 0/6/2. He hadn't exactly planned what to say Terrorblade yet, but he needed to let his brother know he couldn't bypass living under his nose without alerting him. Magina marched up to Terrorblade, even though the height difference between them was two heads, the older brother being the taller one. There was no mistaking Terrorblade's face, which stood high above everyone else's.

"Hello, brother," said Magina from behind Terrorblade. Magina could tell that his sibling had flinched when he said the magic two words. He'd definitely struck a nerve. Slightly trembling, Terrorblade turned around to face his younger brother. "Fancy seeing you here." Terrorblade held his ground and flashed a polite smile at Magina before turning in the other direction. "Fancy seeing you here." Terrorblade laughed sarcastically.

"Yeah, where else would I be?" he responded bitterly. With a hint of sadness even. Magina was still devoid of empathy. "Still at home with you?" His voice cracked at the end. "And… Dad and Mom…" Terrorblade's voice had dropped by an octave. Magina's face remained cold and stony. "Ohh whatever. You wouldn't understand." In the prickly silence, Magina drew his last cigarette from his pocket and lit it, blowing smoke clouds out.

Their eerie chat was disconnected by Miss Krobelus telling everyone to go to bed. Magina departed into his new room, itching for a cigarette. He switched off the light, his two fingers reached up to his mouth, like he already expected to have a smoke there. Just about everyone else in his year at school had picked up this habit. Magina regretted it, but still loved the sensation of the nicotine racing up to his brain and calming him. He planned on phoning up a quitline soon. Little did he know what was going on downstairs.

"So, I called us all down here for a meeting," explained Shendelzare with a fake gavel. "A meeting, to discuss-" She paused enigmatically. "-WHO ACTUALLY LIKES THIS MAGINA GUY?!" For a second, it was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Then an outbreak of furious accusations sliced through the silence, the loudest coming from Carl. Finally Shendelzare banged the gavel on the desk. "Not so loud! We're meant to be in bed, remember?"

"We need a plan of attack!" yelled Tresdin in a volume that made Shendelzare cringe. Everyone shushed her. Tresdin harrumphed. "Well, what else do you want to do about it?" Luna nodded her head in agreement, but Yurnero knew that offence wasn't the right way to go. Then again, what was? Traxex raised her hand and Shendelzare pointed to get with gavel, meaning it was her turn to speak.

"Why don't we all just give him the silent treatment? Ya know, just ignore him for a bit, until he learns to leave us alone and get on with his miserable little life," ventured Traxex. Yurnero stroked his chin. "He might even go back home." Yurnero had to admit, the plan did sound reasonable. As long as it didn't involve bruises and fights, he was fine with it.

"Yeah, that's fine with me," said Yurnero. All eyes in the room turned to him. "Why not?" he argued. "There's a good chance it'll work. And we're not going to get in big trouble for it, so I don't see why not." Luna and Tresdin were the stubborn ones who needed a lot of reasoning to come round. In the end, Traxex's plan was still the best to be suggested. Shendelzare banged the hammer one last time and everyone sleepily trudged back to their bedrooms.

The silent treatment didn't turn out to be as great as they imagined. Miss Krobelus treated Magina and at the last minute, Purist and Mirana had dropped out of it. Lyralei and Rylai were unable to resist the urge to talk and Sven kept fidgeting around with his Fidget Spinner. Yurnero saw no point in owning one. It was times like those that Yurnero realized he wasn't in an ancient house from the 1940s. The whirring sounds coming from the Fidget Spinner were getting on Yurnero's last nerve.

"Would. You. Please. Stop. That?" whisper-shouted Yurnero, kneading his fingers into his skull. Sven accidentally dropped the Fidget Spinner and it swerved across the breakfast table and crashed into Rylai's plate. Rylai was yapping her head off, which was getting on Yurnero's second last nerve. Sven reached over the table to retrieve the Fidget Spinner, when Rylai giggled mischievously. Yurnero had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next.

"Ooh, I've got one of those thingamajigs too!" she exclaimed and took out her own blue Fidget Spinner. Yurnero groaned like a seasick person as the whirring sounds multiplied by two. After what seemed like forever to Yurnero, Sven told Rylai to put the Fidget Spinners away for Yurnero's sake. "Aww, fine." Rylai slipped her Fidget Spinner into her pocket and continued chattering away with a madly blushing Kaldir next to her.

"Alright, sweethearts," Miss Krobelus said over the racket. "Today is the beginning of a new Education Week. But since Magina has just arrived, and Frostivus is just around the corner, I've decided we should do something a bit different. Follow me." Yurnero found himself in the Science Lab, the place that they'd concocted medicine for Skitskurr. He shuddered as he remembered that terrifying moment when Strygwyr had tried to choke himself to death.

Miss Krobelus told everyone that instead of studying, they'd be creating models for an assignment on the planet Earth. Carl as usual, answered most of the questions for them. Yurnero told himself to pay attention as Purist asked Miss Krobelus another useless question that she'd already answered. He was close to falling into a coma at the rate things were going. Finally, it was time for Miss Krobelus to hand out the worksheets for their project. She dropped a piece of A4 paper onto Yurnero's desk so he could read the brief.

'Runaways are to select a country. In pairs, you are to research with your partner about that country. No two pairs can do the same country. You will provide an essay of 500 words with visual aids. In addition, you and your partner will create a model that represents an important natural landmark of that country. Good luck!' Miss Krobelus allowed them to select their own partners, so Yurnero teamed up with Sven. Lyralei was with Traxex and Rylai was with Kaldir.

"Don't get too attached," warned Sven, waggling his index finger at Kaldir. Yurnero snickered to himself at Sven's possessiveness. Rylai rolled her eyes at him and grabbed one of the iPads that were available for research. "We'd better get one too, before they're all gone." Yurnero ran to the front of the room and gripped the first iPad he could find.


	14. Yurnero's mission

Yurnero stepped back to admire the work of him and his friend. Before him, a model of a Mexican waterfall stood on the table. Yurnero and Sven had spent the whole week working on just gathering up blocks of wood to spray paint green. In the gap between the prisms of wood was a reusable water system, that had taken even longer to rig. Sven gave Yurnero a high-five, but they couldn't stray for long. The boys handed in their assignment to a pleased Miss Krobelus and hurried off to help with the Frostivus decorations.

The home was clearly in a more festive season than usual. A wreath woven out of the leaves of a Tango had been hung up on the usually uninviting door. The taller Runaways such as Terrorblade were assisting with lining the walls with tinsel. Shorter ones such as a bratty kid named Zeus adorned the Christmas Tree with small glowing baubles that were shaped like ghosts. Lyralei skipped up to him, with a holly in her red hair. Yurnero smiled at her and helped carry a plastic box of tinsel.

"Great, isn't it?" she said in her cheery tone. Yurnero brushed a strand of hair out of Lyralei's eye. He set down the box and went over to help Pudge cook some Pavlova and cookies. Everything was in a jolly mood, everything except for the sour expression on Magina's face. Miss Krobelus didn't want to force him to help, so he just sat in the corner, pouting. Then it struck him that the others were busy. Too busy to know what he was up to.

Magina was right. Yurnero stopped his baking for a second to have a look at the Runaways attempting to place the star on top of the Christmas Tree. Lyralei was riding on Terrorblade's shoulders, not really trying her hardest to mount the star on the tree. After a lot of teetering around, Lyralei turned serious enough to get the job done. Yurnero chuckled to himself and placed the tray of batter into the oven. Pudge said that he would be able to take it from there.

Miss Krobelus had hired Rattletrap the local technician to fix the television weeks before Frostivus, so the Runaways could access it. A movie called Interstellar was being aired, and it was long enough to keep the Runaways occupied for nearly three hours. Unfortunately for Yurnero, he couldn't make heads or tails out of the film. Carl seemed to relish getting all up in his face and explaining everything. Yurnero became highly flustered when the protagonist, Cooper, plunged into a blackhole and found himself in a 5 Dimensional view of his daughter's bedroom.

"Well, do you remember at the start when Murph said there was a ghost in her bookshelf? That guy was the ghost, don't you get it?" Carl's obnoxious voice filled Yurnero's already pained ears. Having to listen to the know-it-all for a long period of time would be enough to drive anyone nuts. Not exactly the way how Yurnero would've liked his first Frostivus, but the graphics in themselves were enough to keep Yurnero from screaming and running off.

Since there was no aspirin available for his use, Yurnero wasn't really in the mood for hanging out with his friends. Rylai would blow a hole in his eardrums for sure. Thinking about Sven's Fidget Spinner made his head hurt. However, Sven seemed to sense all this and showed Yurnero a hidden, but continually operating Anti-Sound Chamber. Miss Krobelus had an enchantment that restricted anyone from making noise cast on the room. Yurnero could only hear his own breathing.

After a very peaceful hour in the Anti-Sound Chamber, Yurnero felt remarkably better. He could've stayed in there all day, but that would be uncourteous to his friends who wanted him out and about. Yurnero sighed inwardly and exited the chamber. All in all, maybe it would just be better to shove Carl inside. Yurnero came outside just in time for lunch. Something was not quite right. And it wasn't the food.

"Hey, anyone seen Magina this morning?" asked Sven. A few people threw him disgusted looks. No-one really liked to be around Magina. Yurnero did think there was something odd about Magina not showing up, despite the fact that he was a picky eater. Was he doing things against the rules? "No, seriously. This could be important." Sven protested. To his left, Luna snorted and rolled her violet eyes. Sven seemed slightly miffed. "What?" he grumbled.

"Nothing," she sniggered. "It's kinda cute how you fuss so much. But given that you're such a sissy, I'll go on the surveillance cameras tonight and check on what Magina was up to. Now stop whining, for Selemene's sake." Yurnero didn't appreciate the teasing very much, but he didn't want to ruin the chances of Luna helping out. Sven kept his mouth zipped after that.

By late afternoon, Yurnero was getting impatient. Magina had finally made his appearance, but his sour expression had been replaced by a smirk that stretched from pierced ear to pierced ear. It was clear that Magina had been up to no good. But what no good? It was hard to concentrate when Miss Krobelus's Exorcism Duty ghosts were dancing around playing miniature harps in their wispy talons. Aiushtha seemed to like the little ghosts.

Finally, nighttime fell. Yurnero prayed that Luna remembered what she had to do. Just to be sure, he crept his way over to the heart of the surveillance system. Luna was already there, searching through short films of the home. "Oh hey there," she said. "You thought I forgot, didn't you?" He didn't respond. "Well, I found our man. Take a look." Yurnero plopped down in the seat next to her and stared at the screen set for Terrorblade's room.

The time that the footage was filmed was roughly ten in the morning. Magina slipped through the front door, knowing everyone was busy with the setup. He crept across the carpet and over to the shelf where Terrorblade's Aegis was positioned. Yurnero felt a cold stone plummet into his stomach as Magina snatched the Aegis and ran off to put it in his own room. "Poor kid" was all Yurnero could think to say. Terrorblade being the poor kid, of course.

"Did you hear that?" exclaimed Luna out of the blue. Yurnero stopped rustling around to register the sound of footsteps descending upon him. He looked at Luna in horror, but her eyes were occupied with managing the cameras. She panned over to the camera for the upstairs hallway and saw Magina running along the corridor. The footsteps were getting louder. Without thinking, Yurnero dragged Luna under the desk with him.

He was just in time too. Magina entered the room and sat down in the chair that Luna had been sitting in. Yurnero edged away from Magina's foot, not wanting to be kicked. He knew what the other boy was doing. Somehow, Magina knew that he and Luna were headed for the surveillance system room. And now he was searching through the system to find the footage. "What are you doing?" mouthed Yurnero, as Luna began tugging at a thin blue cord.

"I'm cutting out the electricity," she muttered through gritted teeth. Yurnero was worried that Luna was going to break the wire. Finally, the cord came free. The light coming from the screens above them dimmed. Yurnero heard Magina curse, bang the table in frustration, and leave. He let out a held in sigh of relief when the coast was clear. "We'd better go." Said Luna, plugging the cord back in. Yurnero didn't need telling twice.

"Magina stole Terrorblade's Aegis," explained Yurnero to Sven the next morning. Sven's blue eyes looked up from his insensibly stocked breakfast plate and narrowed into slits. He hated bullies. Sven got up out of his seat. Yurnero raised one of his eyebrows. "Whoa, whoa, let's not get hasty." Yurnero ushered his best friend back down. "We can break the news to the fella after brekkie." But it didn't look as if they needed to do that. Terrorblade took depression to a whole new level.

Every single time Yurnero or Sven looked at Terrorblade, he was moping around in a subdued manner. Sometimes something would slip into his mind and cause him to harrowingly screw up his eyes in pure loathing. Yurnero also noticed that Mirana had dumped him to go out again with Magina. It was hard to imagine what it would be like if Lyralei ditched him and Sven stole one of his precious belongings. Terrorblade was far from feeling content enough to speak to someone, so Yurnero minded his own business.

"What a jerk," spat Lyralei when Yurnero told her about the Aegis incident. "How can anyone even be that f-" Yurnero held up his hand to tell her to stop. "Fine. Just telling the truth. But I don't think he's going to show up at dinner." Yurnero shook his head in disagreement. Terrorblade's tolerance level was definitely higher than the average. But it turned out that Lyralei was correct.

"Miss, someone's missing," pointed out Purist. Yurnero instantly knew that it was Terrorblade. But he wasn't bothered to go chase him down. It wasn't his job. Besides, he was curious about Sven's strange behavior. Sven had a giddy smile across his face that didn't cease. If Yurnero tried to talk to him, he'd totally ignore him and keep beaming. Finally, Yurnero had had enough guessing. "Sven, why so happy?" Sven finally snapped out of his happy trance.

"Oh, nothing," he said. Yurnero gave him a sort of appraising look. "Okay fine. Rylai kissed me." Yurnero found himself grinning as well. "I don't even know, we were just having a nice little game of Chess or something. And then she leaned over and…" Sven's smile stretched even wider. Yurnero wished that he and Lyralei could do something like that. "We'd better go now. Dota 2, remember?" But the smile still hadn't left his face.

Yurnero's joy for his friend dissipated when he heard the crackle of the Intercom. "Could Yurnero, Luna and Magina report to Miss Krobelus immediately? I repeat, could Yurnero, Luna and Magina report to Miss Krobelus immediately? , guys." Said Shendelzare. Judging by the names that were called out, Yurnero guessed it was something to do about the sneaking over to the surveillance office. Reluctantly, he followed the other two to his punishment.

Miss Krobelus didn't look very happy with them, only disappointed. First she turned to Magina. She wasn't too severe, probably because he hasn't been a resident for even a week yet. "Don't disappoint me, okay?" she said as she rounded off his lecture. Magina gave her a curt nod, even though he didn't give a single care. "And you, Luna. You've been here for a while. Longer than the other two. Don't lead your friends into trouble." Yurnero wanted to bury his face in his hands. Why him last?

"As for you, Yurnero…" Miss Krobelus said, closing the door, so their words were off-limits to prying ears. Yurnero nodded, his throat tight. Keeping the door shut and speaking to him last didn't feel like a good sign. "They are watching us. You in particular," Miss Krobelus's voice had been lowered to a whisper. Yurnero felt a prickle of fear, even though he didn't know what she meant. "The Illusory Gang." The three words rang a bell. He remembered Spectre saying them to Terrorblade in the cubicle.

"Who are they? What are they doing? Are they coming for me?" Yurnero managed to get out in a rush of words. Miss Krobelus asked him which question she should answer first. "Tell me who they are." Yurnero said firmly. Miss Krobelus nodded and beckoned for him to follow her to the surveillance system room. Once they were there, she flipped a pair of tinted green spectacles out of her pink stitched cardigan pocket.

"Did Shendel tell you about the story with Mercurial in it?" she asked. Yurnero responded yes. "The Illusory Gang is a group of particular beings who specialize in the art of creating illusions; with the exception of Balanar of course. But Mercurial has managed to craft a Manta Style. You know what that does, don't you?" He recognized it from Dota 2. The item that allowed your hero to create two mirror images of yourself.

Miss Krobelus located a midday footage of the boy's bathrooms. Terrorblade was climbing into a dirty pipe and sliding the cover on top. "According to this footage, I'd say Terrorblade is joining the Illusory Gang. They're most likely planning on overthrowing this place, and we can't have that happening. I need you to help me set up these cameras in their hideout, so we can keep an eye out. Just get in the pipe that Terrorblade got in, and follow it."

"I'll do it. Tomorrow morning," Yurnero replied faithfully, bundling up the little black observers and pocketing them. Miss Krobelus smiled. He saw it as a good time to add in an extra request. Now or never. "Just one little condition: can I bring a friend with me? You know to help with the mission. Please?" Miss Krobelus raised one eyebrow. Maybe it was a selfish thing to ask for. After all, this was a big task.

"Alright then. But choose someone who you can work with. Pick a friend who will be of use to you. I'm counting on you, Yurnero." These were Miss Krobelus's parting words as she left the surveillance system room. Yurnero hurried to the computer area. Was there time left for him to have a quick game? No was his answer, when he arrived. There was only a couple of minutes left. He considered who he would take with him on his mission.

Rylai was a liability. She'd probably giggle at something, and then what? The Illusory Gang would most likely take her hostage, and he'd be held responsible for that. Lyralei was a great fighter, but in a fit of panic, she'd run away and leave him behind. Sven was a good fighter too, but Yurnero was too selfish to let his best friend take a gamble at his life. Not that that had even bothered him when they'd been climbing Rooftrellen. What a horrible friend he was. Sven it was, then.

"Hey Sven," Yurnero jogged up to his friend. "Miss Krobelus told me that I had to hang up these little cameras in this underground zone. Do you want to help me? Even though it's kinda dangerous and all…we might run into Spectre, Balanar, or Terrorblade. And they're not going to be particularly nice to us either." Sven blinked, and then shrugged.

"Why not? That's what friends are for." He said. Yurnero was so glad he didn't have to go though his duty alone. At least if he got captured, there'd be someone to notify the others. Miss Krobelus was busy herding everyone to bed, so he went to go get some shut eye. Morning was going to be at him before he knew it.

Yurnero set out to go implant the cameras after an early breakfast. He led Sven into the last cubicle and kicked off the lid on the pipe. Sven went first, and then him. The pipe had a larger diameter than looks held, so Yurnero didn't have any trouble getting to the bottom. Sven had his phone flashlight on. "Looks like this is the meeting room, only no-one's using it right now," observed Sven. There was a wooden table, with three rickety chairs positioned around it. Since Yurnero was lighter than his friend, he took one of the chairs and stood on it, reaching as high as he dared. At his elevated height, he placed a camera in the corner of the ceiling.

"We should split up to cover more ground," suggested Yurnero. Sven headed to plant his camera in the room that they used to spy on the home, and Yurnero did the bedrooms. He wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible. After about twenty minutes, Yurnero had finished his job, only there was one more camera left. What would he do with that one? Sven rushed into Balanar's bedroom, panting for air. Yurnero could tell he'd been running.

"We have to go now," Sven wheezed. "Spectre's got the Illusory Gang with her. She can walk through walls or something. Come on. It doesn't matter about the last camera." Sven took off like a madman, and so did he. The real challenge was going to be climbing back up the pipe. Small stones jutted out from the dirt, serving as support for climbing. Sven grabbed the protruding rocks with ease, using his great strength to hoist himself up. Yurnero was having trouble. He could hear Spectre below him.

"Hey, it's okay," Sven reassured him. "Get onto my back, quick." Yurnero's knuckles turned white as he waited for Sven to come down and assist him. Identically to a koala, Yurnero grabbed onto Sven's shoulders as if they were a lifeline. Which they were. They plan was working. Sven slowly got higher and higher, and Yurnero hadn't fallen off. How tall was this pipe? A glance at the distance they needed to climb told Yurnero that it was over a dozen metres.

Would Sven be able to stand it? Sweat poured down Sven's forehead with every time he strained his muscles to grab the next stone. Yurnero offered to get off, but Sven insisted that he stayed there. Sven had climbed four metres up, but that wasn't even halfway. Suddenly, a gush of water rushed into the pipe, blasting Yurnero off Sven's back and the pressure sent him tumbling to the bottom. He tried to grab some of the stones, but the water was slick on his grip.

Yurnero lay on the dirt floor, groaning in a crumpled heap. Spectre towered over him, smirking. "Take him to the 'Death Tank'," she ordered. Balanar got firm hold of his wrists, and Terrorblade got hold of his ankles. So Miss Krobelus was right. Terrorblade was officially working with the Illusory Gang. It made him feel horribly sick to the stomach. Maybe there was still time to convince him that he didn't belong here.

"Terrorblade, you can't do this to me!" Yurnero pleaded desperately. Balanar clamped a hand over his mouth. Terrorblade didn't even show a single sign of remorse. His carriers took him to a transparent glass tank that was two metres high. By magic, a glass door appeared on the side of the Death Tank. Spectre shoved him inside the tank and the door vanished, sealing him in. Yurnero slapped his hand against the glass, but nothing happened.

"Let me out of here!" he yelled. Terrorblade hovered his hand over a lever on the wall and yanked it downwards. Water that was tinted slightly blue began to rise from the bottom of the Death Tank. Yurnero furiously pounded against the glass, hoping to see a hairline crack. The water level was rising slowly, probably because the Illusory Gang liked to see their victims panic. In frustration, Yurnero tried to kick the glass, but the water had soaked his boots. He hoped Sven was on his way.


	15. The Illusory War

By now, Yurnero had accepted whatever fate he was going to face. He'd had enough of trying to break free. It had been long enough to conclude that Sven had betrayed him. It seemed completely irrelevant, but he was also disappointed that he couldn't remember what he wanted for an occupation. The one Abbadon had tried to help him remember. Half his body was submerged in water, and it'd been half an hour. Thirty minutes left of life.

Spectre and Balanar had left to steal takeaway from a nearby fast food restaurant. Terrorblade continued to watch him suffer. The smug look the boy wore on his face made Yurnero want to smash his way out, only he didn't have the strength to do that. Instead, he turned the other way to stop himself from snapping. Yurnero stared at the pipe. He could swear it was rattling around a bit. The submergence must've been getting to his head and caused his eyes to play tricks on him.

 _But when you see your best friend, you know if they're real or not,_ thought Yurnero, grinning. Sven saw him straight away. Terrorblade couldn't see Sven, because he was on the other side of the room. It all happened in an instant. Sven launched a Storm Bolt at the Death Tank. Cracks shot all over the glass surface on impact. Terrorblade had noticed the explosion. He turned up the speed of the rising water level, do it completely covered Yurnero.

Yurnero poked one of the little fragments that had been divided by the magical gauntlet. The entire Death Tank shattered, and water came spilling out. Spectre and Balanar had just come back in time to see their former prisoner free. Sven hurriedly passed Yurnero something he recognized as the Town Portal Scroll from Dota 2. "No time to explain, just unravel it," said Sven, unrolling his scroll. Yurnero did the same. Before the Illusory Gang could get a hit in, the boys had teleported away.

"Phew, that was close," gasped Yurnero, back in the safety of the home. His clothes were still soaked inside out with water. "At least we got the cameras set up. And where did you get the Town Portal Scrolls from? That was weird." Sven dusted himself off, even though there was nothing on him and rested his hands on his hips, exhaling as he did all this.

"Miss Krobelus gave them to me, dude," explained Sven causally. "Ask her where they came from. Oh and by the way, Lyralei wants to see you. Don't know why, actually." Yurnero felt a thrill in his stomach. All he'd been wanting since he broke out of the Death Tank was some compassion or tender care. Lyralei rushed into the room and straight at Yurnero, pulling him into a tight embrace. Yurnero hugged back, his head over her shoulder. He could feel her breath in his ear.

"Can we go to your room?" she asked breathlessly. Yurnero nodded and took her up the stairway, holding hands with her. It didn't matter that he was leaving behind a trail of water droplets. Once they were in Yurnero's bedroom, Lyralei sat them both down on the bed. Gently, cautiously, she began to lift off his wooden mask. Yurnero didn't even try to stop or fight her. It felt relieving and strangely satisfying to have one person know his secret.

Lyralei just smiled. Yurnero's skin was a nice, light shade of brown, which complemented his cinnamon brown hair. His eyes were of a similar color. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, Lyralei tilted her head up and fitted her lips with his. Yurnero felt his insides melt a little and kissed back. Lyralei's slender but strong fingers glided around his neck and under the collar of his drenched shirt. How long this lasted, Yurnero didn't know. But he didn't want it to end.

Finally, Lyralei broke away and slowly slid his mask back on. She pulled him into another fierce hug, knocking him backwards onto the bed. Yurnero stroked her silky red hair. "Are you okay?" she mumbled against his chest. He nodded. "You should get some dry clothes and a rest. I'm gonna go now." Yurnero wanted her to stay, but he was too tired to beg for her company. His morning had been hectic enough already. He yanked off his shirt and pants and replaced them with dry garments. Yurnero flopped down on the bed and went to sleep.

 _He was back in the Death Tank again. This time, Terrorblade turned up the speed of the water to the maximum. Yurnero was going to suffocate. Sven was there, but he was yawning and picking lint balls off his blue sweater. The water had completely filled the tank. Yurnero frantically swam around, as the Illusory Gang laughed at his situation. Just before his death, he saw the bubbles forming an indistinct image of Abbadon. Yurnero inhaled a mouthful of water and died._

Yurnero woke up in an instant, breathing hard. It had just been a stupid dream. He had to keep pinching himself to make sure it wasn't real. Why did his clothes still feel soggy then? Why did it feel like the Illusory Gang was watching him? He stared at a spider that was in the corner of the ceiling. For starters, it was an awfully large spider. Feeling suspicious, Yurnero scrunched up a piece of paper. With his years of katana-throwing practice, Yurnero tossed the ball of paper at the black object. It bounced back at him.

This was no spider. No wonder he felt like the Illusory Gang was watching his every move. Getting the paper ball and some sticky tape, Yurnero maneuvered a swivel chair over to the corner of the room and balanced dangerously on it. He unfolded the paper, and taped it over the camera's lens. That way, they wouldn't be able to watch him. Yurnero wanted to scream when he turned around and saw another camera on the wall. He taped another piece of paper on it.

Terrorblade's POV:

When I first went down the pipe, it was dark and slimy and dreary. But that didn't matter. Maybe these people would be able to create me a proper home. I get tired of trying to be a decent person, like everyone else. No-one should have to put up with a brother like Magina and be expected to remain sane. Magina would never find me here. Or anyone else, for that matter. I can select my own allegiances, and that's settled.

Mercurial welcomed me as if I was her own son. I've never had this kind of love from my real mother. Magina said once that Mother always liked me best. I don't believe anything he says. Not anymore. Balanar presented me with a pair of blades that levitated under my control, and a weapon they call the Manta Style. Mercurial trained me in the arts of illusions. She taught me how to create copies of others. We haven't really created a plan to take over the home yet, but Mercurial is on it.

Today we tore down the cameras that Yurnero and Sven stuck everywhere. Mercurial reckons that she'll have a plan by this afternoon. I hope that she's true to her word. Just thinking about Magina and Mirana makes me want to lose my lunch. Miss Krobelus never punished Magina for thievery, did she? Huh. I'm guessing that the home knows about us and our intentions. I think that my own intentions are crystal clear.

Yurnero's POV:

It was a day that the gray sky blanketed the world. Yurnero watched miserably as a cloud shifted over the last speck of blue. Droplets of rain parachuted down, dotting the window. Miss Krobelus was holding hand to hand combat classes in the secret gym, to prepare for any assaults on the home. Yurnero didn't feel like he needed help in that area, but the sky was making him depressed and bored, so he went anyways. Miss Krobelus had told the Runaways to expect an attack.

Everyone else was in the secret gym. After watching Miss Krobelus demonstrating some of the moves, they started with the punching bags. Miss Krobelus didn't want the Runaways fighting each other, so she'd hired a person who was up for the job. There was something Yurnero couldn't place his finger on about the boy that Miss Krobelus had summoned. Maybe it was the piercing blue eyes. He couldn't tell much of anything, as they were covered just about everywhere in black.

"I'll go first," said Yurnero indifferently. Everyone cleared to the sides to give the fighters space. He positioned his arms to guard his vulnerable areas. Yurnero aimed a punch at his enemy's jaw, but they stepped to the side before it could hit. Taking the chance, the enemy performed an uppercut at Yurnero's neck. His head snapped back, a slight spray of blood shooting up. A fist slammed into his stomach, winding him. Yurnero stared numbly at his bruised purple flesh.

Several more kicks hit him around the head, making him feel like passing out. Miss Krobelus placed him on a stretcher and carried him off. Before he knew it, Mr Dazzle's face was staring upon him. "You need to remove your mask, Yurnero," he instructed. Yurnero felt panic flood him. "I need to see you injuries," Mr Dazzle said firmly. "Yurnero, now. I'm being serious." Mr Dazzle slipped off Yurnero's mask.

"See, wasn't so bad," he said. "But you might want to look at yourself," Mr Dazzle offered him a mirror. Reflected in the glass was a humongous bruise that shaded half his face deep purple. "Just take it easy today." Yurnero dizzily got to his feet and went to his room. It was as if the universe was conspiring against him that day. At least he'd be able to watch the fights from the comfort of his bed. The next fight was between Magina and the mystery person.

Yurnero observed the person. He was much taller than Magina, and there was extra malice in his eyes that hadn't been there before. Yurnero watched as the person kicked out Magina's legs from under him and began punching him relentlessly. Then it made sense. The striking blue eyes, the height, the cruelty towards Magina…maybe the Illusory Gang didn't need cameras to spy on them, since they were already there in person. At least one of them was.

Yurnero felt sick. He watched as Mirana, Carl, Rubick, Strygwyr, and even Luna collapsed on the ground. Then it was Sven's turn. Sven took a hard hit to the jaw, but he didn't seem fazed. In turn, he punched Terrorblade's head to the side and instantly kicked him in the chest afterwards with his heavy boot. Yurnero was pretty sure that boots like Sven's weren't permitted in hand to hand combat, but it worked for him. Terrorblade surrendered and trudged off.

Yurnero groaned as a lightning strike cut out the electricity and the sky turned even darker. Hailstones bounced on the roof, making the home sound like a volatile popcorn machine. He looked out the blurry window. Where there had once been a road dividing Avernus Drive, was a long stretch of barren and cracked earth, leading into the fog. How this had all happened, he did not know for sure. It didn't seem like a good sign.

The next day the rain and hail had cleared up. All that remained was the uninviting blanket of gray draped over the world. The dehydrated land was still there. All of a sudden, Yurnero felt increasingly dizzy. He looked down at the floor and immediately wished he hadn't. It looked as if there was an earthquake, only the ground didn't shake. Copies of objects on tables multiplied and retracted back into themselves. It was like seeing everything with his eyes crossed.

"What's going on?" Yurnero yelled. Everything reverted to normal. Outside on the dull horizon, was an uncoloured replica of the home. An illusion of Yurnero stepped out of the other home's front door. He locked gazes with the real Yurnero before going back inside. A couple of seconds later, a whole colony of illusions came outside, armed with weapons. Behind them were three specks in the distance. Yurnero rushed to Miss Krobelus.

"Miss! There are a bunch of illusions of us that are coming to attack!" he shouted. Miss Krobelus paled a little and went off to fetch weapons. The other Runaways crowded around him, saying things like 'is it true?' or 'you must've been hallucinating'. "Go see for yourself." Miss Krobelus returned with a crate of weaponry. Sven passed Yurnero his orange katana, holding his Outcast Blade in the other hand. Miss Krobelus pushed open the front door.

"Ready?" she asked. The Runaways nodded. "Then go!" Yurnero charged onto the battlefield, with Miss Krobelus in front of him. The divergent sides ran closer to each other. Magina shoved Yurnero over to get past him. Yurnero ran through a list of insults in his head and got back up again. Everyone else was already in the fray. Yurnero hurried to join them. He almost failed to hear the bleeping sounds coming from below his boots. Yurnero stepped back.

"Mines," he whispered. Luckily for him, he hadn't stepped on the landmine for long enough to trigger it. Taking care to step over the mine, Yurnero ran into battle, katana at the side, aiming for the dark version of himself. The Illusory Yurnero dodged the slash of Yurnero's sword and retaliated with his own. Yurnero deflected the attack, leaving him with a long red gash on his forearm. In the corner of his eye, he saw Mortred standing on top of a red dot in the ground.

The warning formed in his throat, rising up to reach his mouth. Not that it mattered. For the second time that day, Yurnero was knocked over as Strygwyr rushed past him and slammed into Mortred, pushing her out of the mine's harm. The landmine detonated, blasting Yurnero backwards and blocking his view of Strygwyr. All that was there was the crimson blood on the wasteland. Coughing from the dust, Yurnero saw Mr Dazzle running in to collect the Runaway, bundling up Strygwyr and his remaining three limbs.

Mortred looked horrified, but continued to fight. Yurnero threw his katana through the air and it slammed into an Illusory Mirana's stomach. Blue fireballs rained down from the sky, but Yurnero couldn't see where they were coming from. As an enormous shadow descended upon them, Yurnero looked upwards to see a monstrous version of Terrorblade. It couldn't be Terrorblade.

Wisps of black mist fogged his tall wings and obscured his face. Terrorblade's horns were even longer than they were before. His height had multiplied by four at the least. Another wave of blue fireballs sizzled on the ground, nearly scorching Yurnero. One fireball collided neatly on top of an unexpecting Runaway, killing them in blue ashes. Yurnero hoped it wasn't Sven.

"Yurnero!" screamed someone. Rylai. The Illusory Lina was chasing after her. As it raised it's right hand to finish off Yurnero's friend with a single lightning bolt, he ran forward and shoved Rylai out of the way. The Laguna Blade fizzled painfully against his skin. He summoned a healing ward to ease the stifling agony as he lay paralyzed on the ground. Green light radiated from the ward.

Gradually, he regained his balance. Standing up, he thrust his blade. It cartwheeled and embedded its tip in an Illusory Dragonus's neck. The whole thing was so absurdly horrifying Yurnero felt like laughing. Beside him, Miss Krobelus launched magical glittering spheres at enemies. "We just need to finish off Terrorblade. Then the spell will be broken." Yurnero smiled and nodded. Sven limped towards him, with the orange katana.

"Thank you," said Yurnero gratefully. He grimaced at the blood coating the metal. The same substance coated Sven's jean leg. Yurnero rolled back the material to find a red bullet wound. "But who here uses a gun?" His question was answered for him as Balanar appeared on the horizon, a black AK-47 in hand. Spectre was behind him, with an ring of knives strapped to her belt and one in each hand. "Go see Mr Dazzle."

Yurnero wished that he could turn invisible. Hopefully Spectre and Balanar hadn't seen him. He forced himself to move bit by bit. Lyralei came to his aid, shielding him from view, shifting her bow from side to side, until he had enough strength to move. He hated himself for being such a burden on others. Suddenly, he heard a shout. "I challenge you!"

An Illusory Tresdin leaped out of a dried bush and began attacking Lyralei. Lyralei began shooting as well. Yurnero ran forward and yanked the duelist's spear away, making way for Lyralei to kill. When the Illusory Tresdin collapsed to the ground, Lyralei stood up and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "I owe you one, Yurnero." A fireball whizzed at them from the sky. Lyralei grabbed Yurnero and shoved him out of harm's way. "Now we're even."

"Come on," Yurnero pushed himself up and began running closer to the midst of the Illusory War. He trained his eye on a target in the distance. But just as he released it, the handle slipped in his palm. Horror struck, Yurnero reached for the handle in slow motion as it spiralled away. Soon, the katana was just an orange and black dot in the distance. He shut his eyes, hoping that no damage would be done if he opened them.

Yurnero had lost sight of the katana. His gaze fell upon a black handle jutting out of a ginger mop of hair. Brown boots crunching beneath him, Yurnero hurried to identify the victim. The red dress framed with gold, the salient amber eyes and the weak but somehow blazing flames extending from her hands gave it all away. Rylai knelt by Lina's side, tears stinging her eyes. Yurnero heard Rylai mumble the word "sis" under her breath.

"Sis," repeated Rylai. "Can you hear me?" Lina nodded lifelessly, looking at her sister. Yurnero felt his heart crush, seeing the Rylai that he knew erased from the world. "If you can, then-" Rylai paused and sniffed to regain her conposure. "-then I just want to say that you're the bestest sis ever." And that was it. Rylai's shoulders hunched forward and her blonde hair formed a veil around her face, disguising her grief.

"Rylai," mumbled Yurnero. "I don't want to sound mean, but you should probably get up. We're in the middle of a war, after all." Rylai glared at him furiously through hazes of tears, her face flushed. "I'm sorry." She stood up, every inch of her body radiating anger and misery. Rylai's eyes were no longer childish and joyous, but steely blue.

"I know you killed her, by the way." She snapped, frigidly. Rylai brushed her tears away and ran off, leaving Yurnero standing and riddled with guilt.


	16. Hallucinations

"Oh, god," was all Sven could say when Yurnero told him about the katana landing in Lina's neck. "Rylai was pretty close to her sister, you know. It's not going to be easy for her to forgive you. You should give her some time." Yurnero knew he was at fault, even if killing Lina had been a complete accident. Sven was right. Yurnero rinsed his sword and trudged out of Mr Dazzle's infirmary. The Illusory Lina was still there, the last remainder of Rylai's sister.

Carl was in the middle of the fray, taking on multiple illusions with one meatball meteor. Yurnero put aside his grudge against the conceited Runaway and helped by jumping in and spinning his katana around in a traditional Blade Fury. "Trying out for ballet rehearsals?" yelled Carl when their enemies had fallen. Yurnero stopped what he was doing and looked Carl evenly in the empty eye. "You might want to shave first, Yurnero. You're like my hairy twin brother!"

"Do you mean to imply that Kael is a grizzly bear?" called out Sven from the nursing home. "You're twins, right, you look the same?" Carl's face turned red. Yurnero smiled a little, the first time he'd done so after officially becoming a murderer. He felt selfish that he was smiling at all. If Rylai had killed Sven, Yurnero wouldn't have handled it well at all. He whipped around to see a knife flying towards him and ducked. The knife clattered uselessly to the ground. It was one of Spectre's.

Yurnero picked it up and slid it in his belt. Now he had a second weapon. He remembered what Miss Krobelus said. The Illusory War would only end when they took Terrorblade down. Yurnero snuck around the back of his former friend and began slashing at Terrorblade's leg. A screeching sound of metal scraping armor pierced his ears. It was like listening to a cat scratching its claws into a blackboard. Spectre's knife didn't even make a dent in the tough armor.

"Argh," yelped Yurnero, as Terrorblade turned around and kicked him away. The impact winded him, as he flew backwards through the air and accidentally slammed into a mirror image of himself. The Illusory Yurnero looked dazed for a second. Then he jumped to his feet and lunged at Yurnero with his katana. Yurnero nimbly side-stepped the sword, thinking of how to defeat his attacker. The Illusory Yurnero was very scrawny. But that feature had been inherited from him. Not a good thing.

"Sven! Help!" screamed Yurnero. He deflected another slice, red seeping from the lengthy cut in his forearm. His best friend was preoccupied with the Illusory Luna. There were two other clones of Terrorblade, all hurling their fire at the people below them. Yurnero tried to focus. There was no way he could win without assistance, unless they had a difference. The Illusory Yurnero didn't have an extra knife. He hurled both blades at his evil self.

Spectre's knife sank into the Illusory Yurnero's stomach with a wet thunk and it faded away. Out of the corner of his eye was Rylai, freezing an illusion in place. The Illusory Lina soared near her, preparing to launch a barrage of fireballs. Rylai saw the copy of her dead sister, rooted to the spot with shock and melancholia. Flames danced around the Crystal Maiden, snapping Yurnero back to his senses. But when he looked at the Illusory Lina, all he could see was the real one. The dead one.

He couldn't do it. He simply couldn't. Sven lumbered towards Rylai's attacker and released a Storm Bolt at the illusion. A few swings of the Outcast Blade, and the Illusory Lina was history. "Coward, Yurnero," he berated himself for being so wimpy and weak willed. Standing by whilst someone died. It was the part that he hated most about himself. Passiveness. How selfish. If Sven had not saved her, nothing would've.

"Come on, Rylai," said Sven gently, lifting her onto his back to carry her to the nursing home. Yurnero didn't want to see her burns. And then he remembered the proper goal: to destroy Terrorblade. But how? No weapon could graze him. No projectile could injure him. Yurnero stepped off a landmine that was about to detonate, calculating, assessing. A fireball incinerated a Runaway somewhere else. He had to end this. He had to.

"Why'd you stop?" asked Lyralei, jogging up to him and shooting an Illusory Rylai in the neck. Yurnero faced her with a sigh and pointed at Terrorblade. She giggled. "What, you're gonna strip him of his armor? You do know that's not gonna happen, right? Kinda a waste of time, thinking about it." For some reason, her comment rubbed Yurnero in the wrong way.

"Don't talk about it like that," he grumbled. "It's not a waste of time. Arguing and making objections is. If we could get his armor off and leave him vulnerable, there might actually be a chance of one of us being alive at the end of this! And that's not gonna happen, because you keep patronizing my ideas. Unless you have any better ideas, would you please quit trying to put me down in the dirt?" Lyralei's face hardened with anger as he stormed off.

"God, Yurnero!" she snapped, making sure that he could hear her clearly. "You're so goddamned stupid! You don't always have to look at things logically all the time! Sometimes, it's just about emotions! You saw Rylai, did you not? Or maybe you're too blind for that!" Yurnero ignored her and to work, surveying Terrorblade's figure. Where were the edges of the armor? Maybe he could pry them off. From what he could see, there was a headpiece separate from the body.

"Rubick, could you help me?" he asked. "I want you to lift me up to head level with Terrorblade with your telekinesis, okay?" Rubick narrowed his green eyes in concentration and raised his staff, creating a glow around Yurnero's figure. He telekinectally raised Yurnero up into the air. Once he was at the right height, Yurnero wedged his katana between the edge of Terrorblade's helmet and the torso piece, straining to free it.

Irritated, Terrorblade aimed a flick at Yurnero's face. Rubick pulled him out of the way. Terrorblade turned around to see Rubick maneuvering Yurnero with his staff. The young sorcerer's eyes widened and he began to slowly set down Yurnero for a painless landing. If, he had had some courage, Yurnero would've yelled at Rubick to run. But he didn't. As Yurnero landed safely on the earth, Rubick's ashes floated into the air.

"You are not a very nice person," he told himself. Yurnero had thought that he was at least of more worth than someone like Magina or Carl. He was wrong. At least the other two hadn't killed more than one of their own allies. Yurnero quickly dusted himself and stared at the katana stuck in the Terrorblade's helmet. Terrorblade plucked it out the weapon like it was a blade of grass and dropped it on the floor.

"Hello, Yurnero," Sven had finished up with Rylai. Yurnero was not looking forward to explaining. "Rylai's okay now but she's a bit traumatized. How're you?" he asked. Just as Yurnero opened his mouth to say the truth, a fireball whizzed at him. Sven shielded him from the blast. "Is there something wrong?" Yurnero felt tears sting his eyes as he saw the knife in Lina's neck and the fire around Rylai and the cinders from Rubick-

"Yeah, I've just been so ridiculously selfish lately," he sighed. "First I kill Lina, and then I stand around while Rylai dies, and then Rubick gives his life for me. And then Lyralei calls me stupid for looking at things too logically." Yurnero looked at Sven sadly.

"You shouldn't worry about that right now; sink into your guilt later," Sven advised. "although Lyralei might have a point there. Look, I've gotta go save the people in that nursing home. You can help me get out some of the Runaways in there, okay?" Yurnero gave a stiff nod and followed Sven, gasping due to the rising smoke and ash crawling into his nostrils. Miss Krobelus was already covering them, spraying water at the fire with a fluorescent yellow hose.

"You rescue the guys downstairs and I'll cover the upstairs area," instructed Sven. Yurnero rushed into the sick bay that was housing Strygwyr and Shendelzare. He had to make a decision. As stupid as it was, Yurnero hauled both of them over his shoulders. A piece of smoldering debris fell in front of him. Strygwyr's artificial arm slipped from Yurnero's grasp. Another fireball slammed into the building, blowing half of it off. He could use his healing-ward, but there was no time for that.

"Come on," Yurnero grunted, heaving Strygwyr back on and trying to ignore the deadly flames around him. "Shendel, can you Nether Swap or something?" he asked. Shendelzare shook her head. Whatever had happened to her on the battlefield had drained her energy. Yurnero persisted on carrying them to safety as the fire began gaining on them. "Help," he gasped. Miss Krobelus met up with him and took Shendelzare and Strygwyr away. Alone, Yurnero ran for his life.

Yurnero hissed air between his teeth and stared at his calf to see his own burnt flesh. Now that he had just noticed it, the pain began to kick in. How could he have not seen it, with the red blisters and traces of blood? Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Purist coming towards him bearing a large paladin's hammer. A wave of golden light washed over him, causing some of the blood to fade into thin air. "Thanks, Purist!" he yelled as the goody-two-shoes ran off. Now he just needed to keep out infections.

Suddenly Spectre appeared out of nowhere, slamming into him. A fireball fizzled out beside him. His ears rang and rang and rang. Everything was chaos. A blurry Illusory Atropos hovered towards him, sapping his energy. The next thing Yurnero knew a purple orb had floated over his head, causing the nightmares to begin. Yurnero's jaw dropped in horror as Lyralei took one of Balanar's gunshots to the head.

"Lyralei!" he screamed her name as her small figure slumped to the ground and crumpled there in a heap. Without thinking, he ran towards her dead body, failing to notice the landmine that he stepped on. Unlike Mortred, Yurnero had no one to help rescue him from the bomb's vicinity. The mine detonated in a fatal blossom of shrapnel. His heart felt like it was trying to escape his chest as he exerted himself to run from the deadly rain. But it was not enough. Several fragments of the bomb buried themselves deep inside his skin.

 _I'm not going to die, I'm not going to die,_ he repeated over and over again, hoping that it would make it true. Crimson trickled down his arm and splattered onto the dry ground. Was it the last thing he was going to see? Yurnero forced himself to look at something else, something to capture his last moments. The first thing his eyes laid on was the burning hospital. At least he'd managed to save two people from the fire.

Then he was in the Isle of Masks, in a dense crowd. Purple and red energies engulfed the land, destroying homes and traditional dojos. In amongst the crowd of panicking Juggernauts, he saw his father with his mother. _Dad? Mom? Is that really you?_ He reached out for them, but an invisible barrier cause his hand to bounce back to him. Maybe his Mom could see him, because she was running up towards him, when a wave of the vengeful magic swallowed her up.

Yurnero slammed against the invisible wall as Dad was shoved over onto the pavement, facing the same fate as Mom. Frantically, Yurnero struggled to reach him, but it was no use. He felt a lump rise in his throat as his father disintegrated before his eyes along with the rest of his race. If he hadn't sought refuge in Dotatown, this would've been what he'd had to face. But now Yurnero wasn't sure if escaping had been the right thing to do.

A thread tugged at him. Something was definitely not right. And he knew it wasn't the blood loss that he'd suffered. Maybe he was going mental. If this was real, he'd be dead by now. Which meant that Lyralei was still alive. The thought put him at ease, but it wasn't just that. It was like a chunk of his soul was missing. When he blinked, the Illusory Atropos was in front of him, cackling maniacally. Yurnero stood up and drew out his katana.

"What the hell was that for?!" he roared, even though the enemy's job was to cause pain for him. He sliced again at the nightmarish monstrosity. The Illusory Atropos swerved out of the way, its pointy and jagged teeth pulled in a smile. Yurnero felt like ripping the Illusory Atropos's throat off for giving him such terrible hallucinations. He swung his arm back and let the blade fly into the Illusory Atropos's chest.

"I love harvesting your fears, that's all," the illusion said, even though it was seconds away from disappearing in a puff of smoke. Its grin spread from ear to ear. "I have something to tell you, but I don't think you're gonna want to hear it." Yurnero raised an eyebrow, in suspicion. Curiosity got the better of him. He had to hear the message before the illusion expired, which it should've done already.

"What did you want to tell me?" Yurnero said huskily, retrieving his weapon. He towered over the Illusory Atropos. Did that monster's smile ever cause his face to split in half? Yurnero felt the temperature in his face increase with each second of unresponsiveness and mad grinning. "Seriously, what is it, dude?! Tell me right now, you b-"

"Alright, fine. All I was going to say is that you might want to check that burning nursing home. You know, after the fire's put out. Aren't you leaving something behind in there? Or should I say, someone? By the way, it's Saturday. Hahaha!" The Illusory Atropos winked and cackled as its body shimmered and disappeared from the plane of existence. Yurnero stood up, confused. It had been Sven's job to save Rylai and the other Runaways upstairs, not his. No, he hadn't left anyone behind. Strygwyr and Shendelzare had both survived. The Illusory Atropos had just been trying to scare him.

A dagger whizzed in the air, missing him by an inch. An Illusory Mortred teleported right up to him, glaive poised for attack. With his nimble reflexes, he backed out of the blade's way and focused on what he needed to do. He'd learned the Omnislash a while ago, but had never found the opportunity to use it. Yurnero leaped onto the illusion, hacking away at it at every angle. When the attack had finished, he cringed at the amount of red stains on his skin and sword.

"Get him, Balanar!" Spectre yelled. Instead of the AK-47 he had been wielding before, the Night Stalker was carrying a spray gun of some sort. Yurnero found himself doused in strange transparent liquid, causing his eyelids to droop in fatigue. What was this? All he could hear was, "Balanar! I told you to fill up your spray gun with acid, not memory-fluid!" They left Yurnero to go through a series of flashbacks.

 _"Hello, Yurnero," Miss Krobelus greeted, her somber face wiped away. Yurnero said hello back, knowing it was only polite to do so. Then her face darkened once more. "I don't think I ever got round to telling you this, but I used to be a 'Death Prophet'," she said privately as if revealing the secret to an immortal life without an Aegis. "I foretold the date that a person was going to die. I'm a bit rusty with that sort of stuff now, but I have a vague idea that someone close to you will die on a Saturday, a couple of months from now."_

 _Yurnero relived himself putting together the Mexican waterfall model with Sven. He saw himself nearly drowning in the Death Tank. He smiled when he experienced Lyralei's lips on his. He winced when Terrorblade smashed his jaw. The memories all led up to the Illusory Atropos's final words._ _"Alright, fine. All I was going to say is that you might want to check that burning nursing home. You know, after the fire's put out. Aren't you leaving something behind in there? Or should I say, someone? By the way, it's Saturday. Hahaha!"_

Yurnero resurfaced, trying to make sense of all the things he'd seen. Someone dying on Saturday. Today was Saturday. Someone left behind the burning nursing home. When he fitted the pieces together, he realized that the Illusory Atropos hadn't just been using a scare tactic. He had actually been right. Yurnero heard the gravel crunching under his boots as he ran like Lyralei to the charred remains of the hospital.

 _Just a dream, just a dream, it's not real,_ reasoned Yurnero half-heartedly, hoping that he was still under a nightmare or the memory-fluid or something. Maybe he'd wake up and realize he was still in the itchy bush all along. But he knew that he was wrong. Why had he deserted his best friend in a burning building?! He wanted to strangle himself.

"SVEN!" Yurnero yelled at the top of his lungs. He spotted a large figure lying the burnt splinters of wood, shaded by the thick clouds of smoke. On top of the figure was a smaller person, checking under the larger one's shirt. "HANG IN THERE! I'M COMING!" An Illusory Magina blocked his path, but Yurnero pushed it to the ground. The salt of his tears trickled into his mouth, and Yurnero could only hope that he was hallucinating.


End file.
